Excerpt of Perceptual Learning: Discover Your Learning Style

During the early stages of our lives, a great deal of neural training takes place inside of our body. We learn new experiences, we experience new experiences, our senses are put to test almost everyday. Something new to taste, something new to see, something new to hear, every single thing we experience could be new. The information we collect and process is brand new, and thus, our perception of the world changes based on the practices or experiences.

However, this reality changes as we grow old. Perceptual learning simply depends on our 5 senses:

• What we See
• What we Hear
• What we Feel
• What we Taste
• What we Smell

These changes can be permanent or semi-permanent, depending on the sensory adaptation or habituation, which could depend on prolonged exposure. Various studies have been conducted on this learning. Perceptual learning is independent of the cognitive and non-perceptual factors. It goes deep into behavioral psychology and physiology, but we will not be focusing on that. What will we be focusing on?

This book focuses on simplifying the process of perceptual learning and applying common day examples to help you understand what it is. It also focuses on how you could improve your life drastically. The book doesn’t dwell into the scientific or psychological teachings, although they are important, but not in this case. Through this book, you will be getting access to:

• Simplification of the terms.
• Basic understanding of the different methods of Perceptual Learning.
• The ways to incorporate it in your life.

Since these methods have been tested out in the past, for hundreds of years, their application and their benefits are proven. Understanding of these concepts will go a long way and their implementation will help you re-learn the learning process. It will train your senses, and improve your memory function. Learning the basics again is fruitful, as it makes your base learning skill strong.

Here’s the excerpt of the first Chapter, “Discover Your Learning Style”,

Before you start with learning. it’s better to know yourself and what methods suit you. During my childhood, the one thing people practiced the most was rote learning. And I was one of them, we used to memorize things by repeating them over and over again, and then vomit it out on the paper. Most assignments were done on the last day. But in university, luckily, I discovered a new practice. I learned that I was at memorization when I would associate new subjects with practical application.

This was my trick but for you it might be something else. You have to know and figure out what works for you. We will study a few of the most common methods, which I will explain to you very briefly in this chapter, and in more detail in the coming chapters.

The most common methods for learning are these:

1. Visual: You learn through watching videos, presentations, diagrams, this could be through movies, observing, or simply exposing yourself to flashcards.
2. Audio: You learn better when it’s explained to you, like through friends or lectures.
3. Reading/writing: This is the most common method. You write what you learn to memorize and read it out loud, or over and over again. My Note Taking book talks about it.
4. Kinesthetic: This is the technical name of the overused hands-on-experience. And it’s overused for the right reasons. Simply put, you learn the most by getting your hands dirty.
5. Olfactory: You learn through the sense of smell. Associate aromatic smell to a particular memory or learning, and you’ll be great at this.
6. Teaching: You learn through teaching others. You create new examples and learn through the art of teaching. The more you teach, the stronger your concepts.
7. Mix Of Other Styles: This is the one that might be the best for you, as it encompasses parts of all the styles and can be changed on a need basis. You might want to develop your own method to suit yourself.

Now that the introduction is done, let’s jump onto each style!