Some people have an amazing ability to memorize large amounts of information and retain it. These individuals often take advantage of memory devices that help people remember large amounts of new information. For example, the word HOMES is a useful mnemonic for remembering the Great Lakes. With the help of a memory device, some individuals can walk into a crowded room, be introduced to dozens of new people, and remember each individuals name. Most memory devices are based on some form of association whereby an individual learns new material by associating it with material that already has been learned. To help them remember the names of new acquaintances, many people envision the new person with an old acquaintance who has the same first name.Learning Ideas: The process involved in learning ideas is not open to observation and therefore, is difficult to describe. The learner may be confronted with a complex stimulus environment and expected to make a response. Between the stimulus and the response, however, a complex, nonobservable process of thinking must occur. This thinking process has been referred to as an intermediary response, or a mediating response. The word mediating comes from the Latin word medius, which means middle, referring to the processes between the stimulus and the response.