Are there any computer programs or books available to teach a person a technique on how to retain information?

Answer 1

There are many free sites that will give you tips. I would not pay a fee for this. I did my master's thesis on this topic and was able to find a lot of information.

http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/general/memory.html

This is a most excellent site: http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html