In order to split the cartoons into beginner and intermediate volumes, I need a way to classify the relative difficulty of the keywords. How am I going to solve that?
There are four effects I think I’ve identified that make this system more effective than others I’ve tried. Let’s look at what they are and why I think they’re so effective.
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Human memory is a complicated system, both when forging new memories and accessing existing ones. As I’ve worked with these cartoons, I’ve noticed aspects of this method that seem to dovetail nicely with the way memory works.
The first time you view a cartoon, enjoy the hopefully odd or amusing image for its own sake. Connect the pieces you see, by making visual associations with all the elements of the image and the relationships between them.
For contrast, consider this “A is for Apple”-style image. Notice that isolated graphics like these offer little fuel for making any of those conceptual connections.
The second time you visit the cartoon, you scan the image trying to remember which element is associated with the keyword. As you do this, you’re reinforcing those neural connections. Not just memorizing the word, but associating it with all the parts of its illustrated context. Weaving denser mental scaffolding around the word, which makes it easier to remember next time.
The third effect comes from the notion that humor is the sound your brain makes when it’s forming new memories and connections. If we find the image amusing, we get to piggyback on that signal and let the humor lubricate our memory pathways.
Finally the fourth effect occurs when you’re strong enough in the language to read the caption. Whether you do it by the power of your own rising competence or use a translation aid, the captions usually add another layer to the humor, so you get more memory lube, plus the benefit of seeing the keyword used in a sentence.
