Visualization Exercise

Used wtith permission of author

Carolyn Hopper. Practicing College Study Skills..Houghton Mifflin, 1998

A very powerful memory principle is to make a mental picture of what needs to be remembered. By visualizing, you use an entirely different part of the brain than you use by reading or listening. Most of you will discover that you remember pictures much longer than words. Later when learning styles are discussed, you will see that if you are a visual learner, making a mental video of things you want to remember is a must. Let’s experiment by working the following exercises to illustrate the principle of mental visualization. It is important to follow the directions carefully.

Follow directions carefully. Learn the following pairs of words by repeating the members of each pair several times to yourself. For example, if the pair is CAT–WINDOW, say over and over, "cat–window," "cat–window." Do not use any other memory method.

CUSTARD	LUMBER	MOTHER	IVY
JAIL	CLOWN	LIZARD	PAPER
HAMMER	STAR	BEAR	SCISSORS
APPLE	FRECKLES	CANDY	MOUNTAIN
SLIPPER	ENVELOPE	BOOK	PAINT
CANDLE	SHEEPSKIN	TREE	OCEAN

Now without looking back, try to remember as many of the pairs of words as you can.

ENVELOPE	__________	JAIL	__________
FRECKLES	__________	IVY	__________
TREE	__________	CANDLE	__________
CANDY	__________	BOOK	__________
SCISSORS	__________	LIZARD	__________
CUSTARD	__________	HAMMER	__________

Now learn the following pairs by visualizing a mental picture in which the two objects in each pair are in some kind of vivid interaction. For example, if the pair is CAT–WINDOW, you might picture a cat jumping through a closed window with glass shattering all about. Just make up a picture and do not use any other memory technique. The more color and action your picture holds, the easier it will be to recall.

SOAP	MERMAID	MIRROR	RABBIT
LAKE	FOOTBALL	HOUSE	DIAMOND
PENCIL	LETTUCE	LAMB	MOON
CAR	HONEY	BREAD	GLASS
CANDLE	DANCER	DOLLAR	ELEPHANT
FLEA	DANDELION	LIPS	DONKEY

Now fill in the blanks below. . . no looking back. . . and try to remember as many pairs as you can.

CANDLE	__________	MIRROR	__________
DOLLAR	__________	PENCIL	__________
FLEA	__________	SOAP	__________
CAR	__________	LAMB	__________
BREAD	__________	LAKE	__________
LIPS	__________	HOUSE	__________