memory/reading enhancement programs--bullsh*t?

[Benjo]

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Has anyone ever tried any of these? I always see advertisements for books or tapes or programs to enhance reading speed/comprehension and/or memory, and I was wondering if anybody had ever tried them and had any success or failure. I suspect they are mostly bogus, and for those at the lower end of the intellectual spectrum, but who knows. Since we are all going into a period of our lives where fast reading and improved memory would be huge assets, maybe it is worth a try.
If you have any experience with these types of things, post which program you tried and what your assessment is/was.

 

[emomd]

some books are pretty helpful....check out some books from your local libary

 

[Benjo]

All I get is one sarcastic reply? Come on.
I refuse to accept that a bunch of over-achieving, super-motivated, competitive pre-med types have never even tried any of these methods.

 

[bonez318ti]

I've never actually read one of these books, but I've looked up different approaches and philosophies for speed reading online.

I concluded that while it is possible to significantly speed up your reading (ie: from an average 250 wpm to maybe 1000 wpm at max), anything higher than that is likely BS.. especially if they say that you will increase retention as well.

There are tons of techniques out there, but most of the fastest (claimed) methods utilize a method where rather than read individual words, you read phrases. (ie: words are just symbols, and likewise, phrases can be absorbed as a unique symbol) So rather than reading at the average reading speed of 250 wpm, you are reading at about 1000 wpm (if each phrase was 4 words, then you are reading at 250 phrases per minute)..

I'm not sure if this works, bc I havent had the patience to train myself to do this, but when I try to read in phrases, my retention is horrible because I am trying to hard to look for phrases rather than actually internalizing what I am reading. I also don't knowif this technique is feasible for technical/scientific reading since the text is so dense.

I'd be curious to hear if anyone can actually read at 1000 wpm and how you do it.

 

[aye]

it works. try power reading by rick ostrov. but don't expect to see huge improvements overnight... you have to practice. the book is written in a very casual style so its an easy read. only $15 at amazon

i'm thinking of buying the mega memory by kevin trudeau. it doesn't really matter if its all a gimmick... you'll only lose ~$20 and you'll gain such an advantage if its legit.

 

[Premedtomed]

it works. try power reading by rick ostrov. but don't expect to see huge improvements overnight... you have to practice. the book is written in a very casual style so its an easy read. only $15 at amazon

i'm thinking of buying the mega memory by kevin trudeau. it doesn't really matter if its all a gimmick... you'll only lose ~$20 and you'll gain such an advantage if its legit.

I agree. but, reading is a skill that develops with time. Love reading and read a lot. 👍

 

[Xmulder]

Has anyone ever tried any of these? I always see advertisements for books or tapes or programs to enhance reading speed/comprehension and/or memory, and I was wondering if anybody had ever tried them and had any success or failure. I suspect they are mostly bogus, and for those at the lower end of the intellectual spectrum, but who knows. Since we are all going into a period of our lives where fast reading and improved memory would be huge assets, maybe it is worth a try.
If you have any experience with these types of things, post which program you tried and what your assessment is/was.

I actually tried a famous speed reading technique advised by one of those books. After i read the book, i tried to practice it and found it just was not realistic. Simply not possible unless you basically attacked each page ferociously and only glanced at each page. You end up losing a lot of substantive points and details. These days, i often deliberately read slower to absorb all the good information.

 

[traumamonkey]

i just got a memory book to try out this summer...figured it couldn't hurt and i found it cheap. i have read only a little, but they are basically strategies to improve memory, which obviously you have to be willing to practice and implement.

i'll let you know if it seems to be worthwhile....

um, what was your name again? 😉

n

 

[CaptainJack02]

i just got a memory book to try out this summer...figured it couldn't hurt and i found it cheap. i have read only a little, but they are basically strategies to improve memory, which obviously you have to be willing to practice and implement.

i'll let you know if it seems to be worthwhile....

um, what was your name again? 😉

n

is this for prepping for the mcat? the only real secret to mcat verbal success is to read everyday at a challenging level and to practice til your teeth hurt. speed reading will sacrifice comprehension, IMO, and that ain't good for the mcat beast.

if you're just talking about regular reading, speed reading didn't work for me. the method i was looking at involved looking at the center of the page and using peripheral vision to "fill in" the rest. it didn't work after a month of trying, so i quit that.

 

[traumamonkey]

is this for prepping for the mcat? the only real secret to mcat verbal success is to read everyday at a challenging level and to practice til your teeth hurt. speed reading will sacrifice comprehension, IMO, and that ain't good for the mcat beast.

if you're just talking about regular reading, speed reading didn't work for me. the method i was looking at involved looking at the center of the page and using peripheral vision to "fill in" the rest. it didn't work after a month of trying, so i quit that.

nah, i took the mcat last summer. this is for med school. and i have no interest in speed reading techniques--i read fast enough as it is.

what i want is strategies for improving memory, especially now that we'll be expected to know a whole bunch of crap and not take a lot of time to learn it.


here's the book i bought: The Memory Book : The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play
by Jerry Lucas (Author), Harry Lorayne (Author)

dirt cheap copies are available used on amazon (and probably half.com as well)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/104-7350569-5187967?v=glance&s=books

 

[fullefect1]

I've read though some of the spead reading books and have not been able to understand how they tell you to look at a phrase of 5 and read it as if it were one. I tried this method for about a day and then I just stop trying it. Maybe after several weeks of trying this it might work? I am do not have enough patience to try it for an extended period of time. But as for increasing my comprehension and memory the only effective way that I have really found helpful for my personal use is constantly reviewing. AKA flashcards. Maybe you can find some other interesting ways in that memory book your have, maybe I might get a similar book for the summer.

 

[jeremyh42]

I'm suprised that nobody on this thread mentioned one of the best ways to improve memory- GET ENOUGH SLEEP!