About the book: We use working memory to specifically remember and recall certain things, such as going into a grocery store for a carton of milk. But then, we spot a really good deal in the deli section and while at it, your mom calls about a weekend get-together. All of a sudden, you can't remember what you first came in the store for! This shows how our brains have capacity limitations when processing information, and Klingberg talks through many facets of working memory and how it affects our response to certain situations. One example is the "Cocktail Party Effect." We've been in group settings before where even in the middle of a stimulating conversation with one group, if you hear your name being mentioned in nearby proximity, your ears perk up to that conversation, haha. This is where working memory comes in to control our attention. People respond in varying degrees, but psychologists found an emerging pattern: those with lowest working memory capacity are easily distracted when placed in these situations.
About the cover: I learned quite a bit from the book about working memory and attention that I feel terrible to say that so much of the cover is oh so bad. Where do I begin?
- Typography: The Comic Sans-esque font in combination with an all caps traditional serif font just does not work. At first glance, I could see people overlooking this book while browsing the book stands. It doesn't quite look authoritative enough or humorous enough (by the way, there's no humor in the book!)
- Icon: The use of an icon of a brain (and the rays) seems redundant and unnecessary in conveying subject matter.
- Photo Illustration: I like the concept of the post-its to resemble just how hard our working memory juggles for us, but I can't say the same about the execution:
- Background post-its (this part's not so bad--it does capture the concept)
- Cropped back of the head that is clearly photoshopped with an unrealistic drop shadow
- Flat post-it that doesn't quite look like it would stay on the man's head well. It almost appears like a mean trick someone else played on this poor guy who didn't realize he's been walking around with a post-it on his head (ee!!).
With that said, I promise this is a much better read than the cover leads us to believe. :)
