"We don’t give them any specific instructions with regards to what they should or shouldn’t do while resting,” Dewar says. “But questionnaires completed at the end of our experiments suggest that most people simply let their minds wander
In one study, for instance, participants were asked to imagine a past or future event during their break, which appeared to reduce their later recall of the newly learnt material. So it may be safest to avoid any concerted mental effort during our down time.
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Astounding. I assumed that the high performing test subjects would have used some sort of special memorization technique, but in fact doing and thinking nothing actually wins out.
It is possible none of the subjects were familiar with memory techniques. Though I expect the same results would hold: after performing the technique, take a break so the brain can transfer the encoding into long term storage.
Doesn't seem too surprising. Mindfulness & meditation, shown to improve cognitive abilities, are all about clearing the mind, rather than actively using the mind for recall or calculation.
Astounding. I assumed that the high performing test subjects would have used some sort of special memorization technique, but in fact doing and thinking nothing actually wins out.