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... list. How many of the 20 things did you remember? Maybe you think you'll get better at memorizing things if you practice a lot. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Back in 1927, a scientist tested 187 university students on their ability to memorize poetry, the meaning of Turkish words, dates of historical events, and other things. Then some students practiced memorizing things. Others learned techniques for remembering things. And the rest did nothing at all related to memory. When the scientist tested the students again, the group that had learned techniques for memorizing things did much better on the test than the others. The students who had practiced memorizing things and the students who had done nothing at all did about the same on the test as they did before. Scientists have discovered that you don't get better at memorizing things just by doing it more. But you can get better ...