雙語·加工深度：為什么如何加工信息決定了日后能記起多少

Depth of Processing: Why how you process information determines how much you'll remember later
加工深度：為什么如何加工信息決定了日后能記起多少

Scientists believe that one of the critical factors determining the success of encoding is the depth of processing. The deeper you process the to-be-learnt information, the more likely it is to stick. What exactly is ‘deep’ processing?
科學家認為，決定編碼成功與否的一個重要因素是信息加工的深度。對學習的信息加工得越深入，它就越可能被持久地記住。那么到底什么是“深度”加工？

In essence, deep processing focuses on the meaning of the information.
深度加工本質上關注的是信息的含義。

Try this demonstration: Read the following list of words 3 times. After you have read the list, try to recall as many words as possible, minimizing your window or otherwise covering up the words on the screen:
試試這個例子：把下面這些單詞讀三遍，然后最小化窗口或在屏幕上擋住它們，試著回想起盡可能多的詞：

cabbage, table, river, shirt, gun, square, iron, dentist, sparrow, mountain, hand, granite
圓白菜、桌子、河流、襯衫、槍、廣場、鐵、牙醫(yī)、麻雀、山、手、花崗巖

How many words did you remember? Now try the same thing with another list:
你記住了多少個詞？現(xiàn)在和上面一樣，試著記下面這一組詞：

pink, green, blue, purple, apple, cherry, lemon, plum, lion, zebra, cow, rabbit
粉色、綠色、藍色、紫色、蘋果、櫻桃、檸檬、李子、獅子、斑馬、牛、兔子

How many words did you remember? Try it once more with the following list:
你記住了多少個詞？再試試下面這一組：

thread, pin, eye, sewing, sharp, point, prick, thimble, haystack, thorn, hurt, injection
線、別針、眼、縫、尖、點、扎、頂針、草堆、刺、疼、注射

How many words did you remember now? It is quite likely that you remembered most items from the second and third lists and the fewest items from the first list. As you may have noticed, the second list consists of items grouped into categories (color, fruit and animal), whereas the third list contains items which are related to the word ‘needle’. In contrast, the first list consists of completely unrelated items.
這回你記住了多少個詞？很有可能你記住了第二組和第三組中的大部分詞匯，而第一組的單詞記住的最少。正如你可能已經(jīng)注意到的，第二組中的詞被分成了若干類別（顏色、水果和動物），而第三組的詞都和“針”這個含義有關。相反，第一組中的單詞則是各種完全無關的事物。

The reason why it was easier to memorize items from the latter two lists is that the items were meaningfully connected – they were subjectively (consciously or unconsciously) organized into a specific category or related to a common concept. Giving meaning to information is beneficial as it harnesses the process of spreading activation (which we'll cover in the section on “Spreading activation”).
后兩組單詞之所以更容易記住，是因為其中的事物具有有意義的關聯(lián)——它們被主觀地（無論是有意還是無意）歸到一個特殊類別，或者都與一個共同概念相關。為信息賦予意義之所以有助于記憶，是因為它強化了激活擴散的過程（我們會在“激活擴散”一節(jié)討論它）。

The main implication of this study is that structured information is much easier to encode to memory than disorganized information.
這個研究給我們的主要啟示是：結構化的信息比無組織的信息更容易編碼并記住。

Therefore, it is extremely useful to impose a good structure on your notes. The structure can take many different shapes – hierarchical, flow-based, mind-mapping or anything else that you find useful. What matters is that the particular technique helps you organize the study material in an easy, clear and understandable way. (we will cover these note-taking techniques in detail in a separate article on learning)
因此，按一種良好的結構組織筆記就十分有用。結構可以有許多不同的形式——層級結構、流結構、思維導圖或其他任何你覺得有用的形式。重要的是，這個方法幫助你用一種輕松、明白、容易理解的方式組織學習材料。（我們會在另外一篇關于學習的文章中詳細討論這些筆記方法。）

Categorization and structuring are not the only ways that you can give meaning to information. A powerful technique that substantially improves memorization is self-explanation. Self-explanation simply consists of asking yourself questions about the study material as you study:
為信息賦予意義，并不只有分類和結構化的方法。一個能夠明顯提高記憶力的有力手段是自我解釋。自我解釋包括在學習時問自己有關學習材料的問題：

·How does this concept related to the other?
·這個概念與另一個概念有什么關系？

·What are the implications of this concept for…?
·這個概念對……有什么意義？

·Why does it make sense that…?
·為什么……有道理？

·What are the steps that I must take to solve this problem?
·要解決這個問題我必須采取哪些步驟？

A very effective way to make yourself process information deeply is to explain the study material in your own words. If you are to explain a concept using different words than those used by the textbook or the lecturer, you firstly have to process and understand its meaning and logical connections with other concepts, which effectively boosts encoding by stimulating deep processing. This stands in stark contrast with the situation where you simply re-read the textbook or lecture notes, which constitutes only superficial processing and does not lead to effective encoding.
深度加工信息一個非常有效的辦法就是用自己的話解釋學習材料。如果你要用與書本或老師不同的話來解釋一個概念，首先必須消化并理解它的含義，并與其他概念建立邏輯聯(lián)系，而這通過促進深度加工有效地推動了編碼過程。這和只是簡單地再讀一遍課本非常不同，因為重讀課本只涉及信息的淺層加工，而不會引向有效的編碼。

When taking notes, make sure that you do not copy the words of your textbook and lecturer verbatim. Instead, try to use your own words as much as possible. Researchers have shown that typing notes on a computer encourages copying information verbatim (even if students are explicitly instructed to use their own words), unlike writing notes by hand. As a consequence, students who take notes on a computer underperform in tests compared to students using handwriting.
在記筆記時，要確保自己不是逐字逐句地照抄課本或老師的話，而是盡可能使用自己的語言。研究者已經(jīng)證明，與手寫筆記不同，在電腦上打字記筆記會鼓勵逐字逐句照抄信息（即使學生已經(jīng)被明確告知要用他們自己的語言）。結果就是，用電腦記筆記的學生在考試中表現(xiàn)不如手寫記筆記的學生。

Our general recommendations are the following
我們一般推薦下面的做法：

·Take structured notes (whatever suits you best: hierarchical, flow-based, mind-maps, etc.)
·記結構化的筆記（層級式的、流結構的、思維導圖等等，無論哪種最適合你）。

·Do not memorize lecturer's or textbook phrases, explain concepts to yourself in your own words
·不要死記硬背老師或課本上的原話，而是用自己的語言闡釋概念。

·When taking notes, avoid copying information word-for-word. Use your own phrasing instead.
·在記筆記時，避免逐字逐句抄寫信息，而是改用自己的話。

·Avoid taking notes on a computer. Take handwritten notes instead.
·避免用電腦記筆記，而是用紙筆。

——節(jié)選自《記憶的科學》