preferences. If you find that you have greater difficulty in
remembering material impressed through the ear than through the eye,
reduce things to visual terms as much as possible. Make your lecture
notes more complete or tabulate things that you wish to remember, thus
securing impression from the written form. The writer has difficulty in
remembering names that are only heard. So he asks that the name be
spelled, then projects the letters on an imaginary background, thus
forming visual stuff which can easily be recalled. If, on the contrary,
you remember best the things that you hear, you may find it a good plan
to read your lessons aloud. Many a student, upon the discovery of such
a preference, has increased his memory ability many fold by adopting
the simple expedient of reading his lessons aloud. It might be pointed
out that while you are reading aloud, you are making more than auditory
impressions. By the use of the vocal organs you are making muscular
impressions, which also aid in learning, as will be pointed out in
Chapter X.

After this discussion do not jump to the conclusion that just because
you find some difficulty in using one sense avenue for impression, it
is therefore impossible to develop it. Facility in using particular
senses can be gained by practice. To improve ability to form visual
images of things, practise calling up visions of things. Try to picture
a page of your history textbook. Can you see the headlines of the
sections and the paragraphs? To develop auditory imagery, practise
calling up sounds. Try to image your French instructor's voice in
saying _élève_. The development of these sense fields is a slow and
laborious process and one questions whether it is worth while for a
student to undertake the labor involved when another sense is already
very efficient. Probably it is most economical to Arrange impressions
so as to favor the sense that is already well developed and reliable.