Read Online How to Become Smarter by Charles Spender - Free Book Online
Authors: Charles Spender
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procrastination than either approach alone. Hot hydrotherapy can also help to combat procrastination, but only in combination with a hot environment. (Be careful because this approach causes lethargy.)
In conclusion, research shows that effective time management can also reduce procrastination [ 490 - 492 ]. In my experience, calendar- and task-management software can simplify your life and help to reduce procrastination. It can also help you become more organized. You can set up automatic reminders for various appointments and tasks. I use Microsoft Outlook, but there are other programs with similar functionality.
Key points:
Slightly lowering mood and increasing emotional tension can combat procrastination.
The depressant diet, which is based on boiled red meat, boiled grains, and nuts, can reduce procrastination, as can a hot environment.
Once you get started on a reading or writing task, you can discontinue the depressant diet.
[ Previous ][ Next Key Points ]
Prerequisites to good reading comprehension
Different mental tasks require different mental abilities or different sets of mental abilities. For example, reading tasks require a set of mental abilities that is different from that necessary for performance of writing tasks. This section focuses on mental abilities that you need to enhance in order to improve reading comprehension, i.e. understanding of printed text. These mental abilities or mental attributes include alertness, fluid intelligence, attention control, and attention span.
The discussion of dyslexia or reading disability is outside the scope of this book. The neurological impairment in dyslexia is unrelated to the aforementioned mental abilities and most likely involves the difficulty associating written characters (letters) with specific sounds of speech. The latter is not the only theory and there are other theories about pathophysiology of dyslexia. The techniques presented in this chapter will improve alertness, fluid intelligence, and attention control, but they are unlikely to correct the underlying neurological cause of dyslexia. Therefore, these techniques should improve reading comprehension in both healthy and dyslexic people, but they will not cure dyslexia.
Going back to the specific mental abilities that are necessary for good reading comprehension, alertness or wakefulness is one such ability. Alertness means the absence or low levels of mental fatigue and sleepiness. Fatigue and sleepiness can worsen performance on many types of tests, including those that require reading comprehension. Hence reducing sleepiness and fatigue, in other words, increasing alertness will be beneficial for performance of reading tasks. There are different degrees of alertness, ranging from passive wakefulness to hyperactive wakefulness. Since hyperactivity often correlates with inattentiveness or distractibility [ 498 ], excessive alertness will have a negative effect on reading comprehension. The level of alertness somewhere between passive wakefulness and active wakefulness should be optimal for good reading performance.
Fluid intelligence is another mental ability that is important for understanding of complex texts. Chapter One defined fluid intelligence as an ability to understand and solve novel problems, which also includes the ability to understand novel concepts. You may recall that fluid intelligence is different from crystallized intelligence, which represents accumulated knowledge and skills. A high level of crystallized intelligence, that is, prior knowledge of the subject matter and good vocabulary will facilitate any type of reading. It is not the focus of the present discussion and we will talk about it later. You could say that fluid intelligence is the same thing as quality of computing hardware, in other words, how well the brain works regardless of knowledge. Note that there is not a strong correlation between the level of fluid intelligence and comprehension of texts
In conclusion, research shows that effective time management can also reduce procrastination [ 490 - 492 ]. In my experience, calendar- and task-management software can simplify your life and help to reduce procrastination. It can also help you become more organized. You can set up automatic reminders for various appointments and tasks. I use Microsoft Outlook, but there are other programs with similar functionality.
Key points:
Slightly lowering mood and increasing emotional tension can combat procrastination.
The depressant diet, which is based on boiled red meat, boiled grains, and nuts, can reduce procrastination, as can a hot environment.
Once you get started on a reading or writing task, you can discontinue the depressant diet.
[ Previous ][ Next Key Points ]
Prerequisites to good reading comprehension
Different mental tasks require different mental abilities or different sets of mental abilities. For example, reading tasks require a set of mental abilities that is different from that necessary for performance of writing tasks. This section focuses on mental abilities that you need to enhance in order to improve reading comprehension, i.e. understanding of printed text. These mental abilities or mental attributes include alertness, fluid intelligence, attention control, and attention span.
The discussion of dyslexia or reading disability is outside the scope of this book. The neurological impairment in dyslexia is unrelated to the aforementioned mental abilities and most likely involves the difficulty associating written characters (letters) with specific sounds of speech. The latter is not the only theory and there are other theories about pathophysiology of dyslexia. The techniques presented in this chapter will improve alertness, fluid intelligence, and attention control, but they are unlikely to correct the underlying neurological cause of dyslexia. Therefore, these techniques should improve reading comprehension in both healthy and dyslexic people, but they will not cure dyslexia.
Going back to the specific mental abilities that are necessary for good reading comprehension, alertness or wakefulness is one such ability. Alertness means the absence or low levels of mental fatigue and sleepiness. Fatigue and sleepiness can worsen performance on many types of tests, including those that require reading comprehension. Hence reducing sleepiness and fatigue, in other words, increasing alertness will be beneficial for performance of reading tasks. There are different degrees of alertness, ranging from passive wakefulness to hyperactive wakefulness. Since hyperactivity often correlates with inattentiveness or distractibility [ 498 ], excessive alertness will have a negative effect on reading comprehension. The level of alertness somewhere between passive wakefulness and active wakefulness should be optimal for good reading performance.
Fluid intelligence is another mental ability that is important for understanding of complex texts. Chapter One defined fluid intelligence as an ability to understand and solve novel problems, which also includes the ability to understand novel concepts. You may recall that fluid intelligence is different from crystallized intelligence, which represents accumulated knowledge and skills. A high level of crystallized intelligence, that is, prior knowledge of the subject matter and good vocabulary will facilitate any type of reading. It is not the focus of the present discussion and we will talk about it later. You could say that fluid intelligence is the same thing as quality of computing hardware, in other words, how well the brain works regardless of knowledge. Note that there is not a strong correlation between the level of fluid intelligence and comprehension of texts
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