The scariest part about being in a show for me was learning my lines. I was always surprised when i finally got them all in my head. I never gave much thought to how exactly i memorized them but apparently a group of psychologists was curious about just that. They conducted a study that shows good actors (myself not included) use active experiencing. By understanding what the character is trying to do, it's easier to remember what words they might use to do that.
I think of learning a programming language in much the same way as learning the lines of a play. The more you understand about what the language is trying to do and its overall philosophy, the more easily the correct syntax will just roll off your fingers. It is possible to just memorize keywords, but if you understand where they fit in the big picture, you're better able to predict how to do something you've never done before.
Posted by Matthew at January 27, 2006 09:56 AM