People forage for memories in the same way birds forage for berries Humans move between ‘patches’ in their memory using the same strategy as bees flitting between flowers for pollen or birds searching among bushes for berries. Researchers at the University of Warwick and Indiana University have identified parallels between animals looking for food in the wild and humans searching for items within their memory – suggesting that people with the best ‘memory foraging’ strategies are better at recalling items. Scientists asked people to name as many animals as they could in three minutes and then compared the results with a classic model of optimal foraging in the real world, the marginal value theorem, which predicts how long animals will stay in one patch before jumping to another. Dr Thomas Hills, associate professor in the psychology department at the University of Warwick, said: “A bird’s food tends to be clumped together in a specific patch – for example on a bush laden with berries. “But then as this patch becomes depleted, they look elsewhere.
The Visual Leap - About Visual Thinking >> Home • About Visual Thinking About Visual Thinking Visual thinking, also called visual learning, is a proven method of organizing ideas graphically - with concept maps, mind maps and webs. Scientifically based research demonstrates that visual learning techniques improve memory, organization, critical thinking and planning. Visual thinking is an intuitive and easy-to-learn strategy that works for many academic and professional projects. The more complex the task or idea, the more useful this approach can be. Visual Leap programs use visual thinking software as a learning tool, and this software accelerates the learning process. According to studies conducted by the Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education, visual learning techniques improve: Test scores Writing Proficiency Long-term Retention Reading Comprehension Thinking and Learning Skills Visual thinking is intuitive. Visual thinking is easy to learn. Joseph D. 37% of people are visual-spatial learners.