I learned in my psychology classes that memory is most deeply encoded
when associated with concrete imagery. That is, memories are
strongest when they appeal to all the senses and can readily
recreate an imaginable scene or context. Rote memorization
(e.g. reviewing flashcards over and over) is considered a weak encoding
technique because it relies solely on repetition to encode
memory. Herein lies the problem with remembering new vocabulary,
especially new vocabulary in a second language. Is there some way
to study it using "stronger" memory encoding techniques?
Rote flashcards are boring and don't work very well. The memory
of them is literally gone in a flash.
Being an IT guy and a student of Japanese, I'm expectedly a fan of
using software to study. I've tried just about every type of
Japanese learning software there is, so here I've compiled a list of my
favorites:
The Rosetta Stone (PC / Mac) - www.rosettastone.com
The Rosetta Stone is the Ferrari of language learning software.
It's fun and extremely interactive, engaging all the senses to maximize
retention. It's automatic lesson review feature quizzes like a
real teacher, and it's the only software I've ever found that supports
voice recognition, making speaking practice possible. It's by far
the software that
