Meaning is an essential part of all thought processes, and it is meaning that gives order to experience. Indeed the process of perception is ultimately one of extracting meaning from the environment. If the mind is not attending, information will go 'in one ear and out the other'; the trace it leaves may well be too weak to be recalled in normal circumstances. If concentration is applied, i.e. there is conscious involvement with the information, more meaning is extracted, more meaningful connections are made with existing understanding, the memory is stronger, and there will be more opportunity to make meaningful connections with new material in the future.
Memory is not recorded like a tape recording, with each idea linked to the next in a continuous stream; instead, the information is recorded in large interconnecting associative networks. Concepts and images are related in various ways to numerous other points in the mental network. The act of encoding an event, i.e. memorising, is simply that of forming new links in the network, i.e. making new associations. Sub-consciously, the mind will continue to work on the network, adding further connections which remain implicit until they are explicitly recognised, i.e. they enter the pre-conscious as relevant material, and are picked up by the spotlight of consciousness.
Such associative networks explain the incredible versatility and flexibility of human information processing. Memory is not like a container that gradually fills up, it is more like a tree growing hooks onto which the memories are hung. So the capacity of memory keeps growing - the more you know, the more you can know. There is no practical limit to this expansion because of the phenomenal capacity of the neuronal system of the brain, which in most people is largely untapped, even after a lifetime of mental processing.
Because the brain naturally organises information in associative networks, it makes sense to record notes about information you want to remember in a similar way. Using the method of Mind Maps, all the various factors that enhance recall have been brought together, in order to produce a much more effective system of note taking. A mind map works organically in the same way as the brain itself, so it is therefore an excellent interface between the brain and the spoken or written word.
Paradoxically, one of the greatest advantages of Mind Maps is that they are seldom needed again. The very act of constructing a map is so effective in fixing ideas in memory that very often a whole Mind Map can be recalled without going back to it at all. Because it is so strongly visual, frequently it can be simply reconstructed in the 'mind's eye'.
To make a Mind Map, one starts at the centre of a new sheet of paper, writing down the central theme very boldly, preferably in the form of a strong visual image, so that everything in the map is associated with it. Then work outwards in all directions, adding branches for each new concept, and further small branches and twigs for associated ideas as they occur. In this way one produces a growing and organised structure composed of key words and key images (see the previous article on 'Key Words').
BrainLand | Peter Russell | Creative Mindmap | Shared Visions | Learn MindMapping
When you've got a good reality on Mind Mapping, read through this Speed Reading Course and at the same time, based on your growing understanding, build up a Mind Map displaying the main ideas and how they connect.