Contrary to popular belief, when a person makes a mistake while learning, it improves their memory for the right information, but only if the error is close to the correct answer, according to recent findings by Baycrest researchers.

Our research found evidence that mistakes that are a' near miss' can help a person learn the in formation better than if no errors were made at all, says Dr. Nicole Anderson, senior scientist at Bavcrest's Rotman Research Institute. " These types of errors can serve as stepping stones to remembering the right answer. But if the error made is a wild guess, then a person doesn’t learn the correct information as easily.

In their study, researchers asked 32 young adults with no Spanish background to guess the English definition of certain Spanish words,, The Spanish words selected either resembled an English word with a similar meaning or the word looked like an English word. but meant something different.

Participants were shown the Spanish words and asked to guess their meanings. Then, they were briefly shown the correct translation, before being shown another Spanish word. After repeating this process with 16 Spanish words, participants had a short break before their memory for the translations was tested. Researchers found that people were better able to think of the correct translations for Spanish words that were similar to the English words.They had greater difficulty recalling the meaning for words that looked misleading.

''Based on these findings, someone studying for an exam should only take practice quizzes Nafter reviewing the material, "says Dr. Anderson. "If a person takes a practice test and is unfamiliar with the content, they risk making guesses that are nowhere near the right answer.

This could make it harder for them to learn the correct information later".

The eyeliner makes the dark circles less pronounced. The lip gloss hides the trembling. The ponytail conceals missing patches of hair. The Abercrombie sweater covers bruises. I might look at bit thinner, but everyone will ask about my new diet. My hair might not shine the way it used to, but the pink ribbon will distract curious eyes. One hour of preparation and I look like myself. One hour of preparation and no one will know. One hour out of 24. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it – wasting a twenty-fourth of my day on a lie. But then I see my wispy hair and baggy eyes, and I have to do it.

Checking my makeup one last time, I push my sleeves up, though not past my elbows. I slip on a cute pair of flats – heels are too dangerous with shaky legs – and grab my Hollister bag. Padding downstairs, I inhale the scent of waffles and syrup.

“Morning, Mom,” I call.

“Morning, baby,” she chirps. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I have been.”

She sighs, and her eyes look a hundred years old for a minute. “Any improvement is good,” she says half-heartedly.

“Of course”“

“I made waffles.” Her offering.

Thanks, Mom. Smells delicious.” My offering.

I sit at the table and she hands me a plate. The thought of all that food turns my stomach, but I force a smile and thank my mother again. She busies herself at the sink and fills the silence with chatter. When she turns around, she takes in the waffles still on my plate, only missing a few bites. I smile apologetically.

“I’m not very hungry this morning.”

“You’ll need your strength for this afternoon.” She bites her lip. She doesn’t like to bring it up over breakfast. I eat another bite.“

“I packed your lunch.”

I’m 18, Mom. I can pack my own lunch. You have more important things to do.”

She reaches for the paper sack. “But now I know you’ll have something to eat. And you need to eat, okay? You have to keep your strength up.”

Sighing, I take the bag. I know this peanut butter and jelly sandwich won’t be eaten, not any more than the one yesterday or the day before. And even if I do eat it, I’ll just throw it up later. Anything consumed after 11 ends up in a plastic basin at 4:07. It’s just the way it works.

“Hon, have you thought about what I said the other day?” she asks.

I shrug noncommittally.

“Sweetheart, you can’t hide this forever. Eventually you’re going to miss school and people will start asking questions.”“

“Mom, I have two months left of high school. I can make it ’til then. I’m class president and probably valedictorian. I was voted ‘Most popular,’ ‘Most fun to be around,’ ‘Best smile,’ and ‘Most likely to succeed.’ I’m the girl who’s got it all together. People don’t want to know that the girl who’s got it all together, doesn’t have it all together. People don’t want to know that girl is dying!”

“Honey, don’t say that. You’re not dying.”

“Yes, I am. I have cancer. You heard Dr. Morrison. I have maybe a year left. But that means I can graduate and then never see those people again. I’ll die and they’ll feel sorry for me, but at least I won’t have to endure their pity.”

“But …,” she tries to interrupt.

“Mom, listen to me. I don’t want to be the girl everyone looks at and whispers, ‘Look at her. Poor thing, she has cancer.’ I can’t handle that. I want to be normal. Just for these last two months.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “Okay. Just remember, it’s okay if you don’t have it all together. Sometimes things just fall apart and there’s nothing we can do.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I grab my bag and lunch and kiss her on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” my mom replies. This exchange, once taken for granted, is now a vital part of every morning, every afternoon, every night. Three little words, followed by four more, have come to mean more than an entire conversation. They bridge all gaps and disagreements, because we both know there is now a finite number left.

Keys in hand, I open the door and blink in the early morning sun. My silver car waits in the driveway and as I walk toward it, I check my reflection in the tinted window. Perfect.

Hello! We are identical twin sisters. We started this blog because so many people are interested in twins. It appears that people never get tired of hearing about us! The news is full of stories about twins. We collect these stories and post them on our blog. We hope you will find them interesting!

Debbie and Lisa are identical twins. They are also successful businesswomen. In 1994, they opened a restaurant in New York City called Twins. All of the servers in the restaurant were identical twins. They always worked the same hours. If one of the twins was ill, the other one had to stay home, too. If one twin quit, the other twin also had to leave. Many of the restaurant’s customers were also twins. Twins all over the world heard about the restaurant and wanted to visit it. Ruth Reichl, a famous restaurant writer, wrote about the restaurant in The New York Times in 1995.

The restaurant is closed now, but Debbie and Lisa have another successful business. They own a talent agency. The agency specializes in twins. They find work for twins in movies, television commercials, advertisements, and reality shows. Child actors who are twins have a special advantage. There are laws to protect children who work. As a result, most child actors can work for only a few hours a day. But child actors who are twins can share one job. This doubles the work that they can complete in one day. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are a very famous example of this. At just nine months old, they began to play one character on the popular television show Full House.