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Two essential components of intelligence are the ability to recognize (and extrapolate) patterns, and the ability to simply memorize strings of randomized data. Each requires the use of different parts of the brain. Alternating between one and the other creates an increase in both abilities plus increases neuronal plasticity and problem-solving ability. For each of the following strings of data, do the following: 1) Recite all of the data points from memory after looking at the data for no longer than two minutes; 2) Recite all of the data points backwards from memory after looking at the data for another minute; 3) If you recognize a pattern, find the next data point. NOTE: Do not look back to previous strings in working on this exercise! --------------- STRING A: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 ... STRING B: 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, 5, 7 ... STRING C: 3, 7, 5, 8, 3, 9, 6, 11, 2 ... STRING D: Apple, Bicycle, Carnival, Donut, Energy, Footprint ... STRING E: Carbon, Log, Melon, River, Wheel, Toe ...

Image via Wikipedia Those of us at Braintenance Central (make a quick left at the Parietal lobe , and follow the cues) believe that using a mnemonic or other "conscious device or technique" in order to improve some aspect of mind functioning is not against the rules -- in fact, if it helps, we like to encourage it. There are so many wonderful devices and techniques for improving various aspects of mental functioning that it makes one's head spin. Again, we feature a listing of the most popular memory techniques, courtesy of BrainMetrix : The Link Method : The Link Method is one of the easiest mnemonic techniques available, yet quite powerful. It is not quite as reliable as a peg technique, as images are not tied to specific, inviolable sequences. It functions quite simply by making associations between things in a list, often as a story. The flow of the story and the strength of the visualizations of the images provides clues to an easy retrieval of the stored piece o...