How Mnemonics Sharpen Memory
"I just can't memorize all these vocabulary words!" lamented my fourteen-year-old son. He stared at the list of fifteen heavy-weight, abstract definitions he'd been memorizing for a week without success. As I explained how to remember lengthy pieces of information, his eyes glazed over while interjecting, "I'm going to try something different." Though memorization, defined as learning something to remember it exactly, has never been his strength, I wondered how he had remembered entire movie scenes, characterizations, favorite songs, and even lengthy speeches.
My son was encouraged to find that successful actors Bob Hope, Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, and Finding Nemo's Dory share similar plights. According to Grunge.com, all have some memory challenges, with Brando and Hope heavily addicted to cue cards during their careers. Even computer wizard Bill Gates has been inspired to improve his memory after reading a book over the summer about memorization techniques.
So, is there an easier or proven way to memorize concrete and abstract concepts? Research shows that anyone can remember just about anything, and as Gates puts it, "we all start with pretty much the same tools for the most part, and we can be intentional about strengthening them or not." Read on for memory techniques that work!
Mnemonics is defined as assisting or intending to assist memory and is helpful in memorizing and retaining information for later use. The annual World Memory Champs amazingly remember hundreds of words, numbers, and abstract information within minutes. What offers real hope to ordinary folks is that these champ's memory bravado isn't associated with innate genius but intentional training in mnemonics.
As three-time World Memory Champion Alex Mullen explains, "In training like a memory champion, it’s really the visual that’s most important. Each technique we covered capitalizes on the ability to visualize memories rather than simply attempting to recall them. This, as our team of experts notes, is an exercise in futility."
- Mnemonic Strategy #1- Acronyms- When memorizing the order of items on a list, the first letter of each word is used to create a quirky or meaningful sentence. Many of us learned the order of the planets this way. For example, My Very Efficient Mom Just Sewed Up Nine Pockets. The first letter of each word corresponds to the first letter of each planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, (and wannabe planet) Pluto. Acronyms are simple yet effective, as shown in a recent study of Psychology students taking exams. The students employing acronyms reported greater motivation to study and superior test performance.
-Mnemonic Strategy #2-Chunking- Grouping bite-sized pieces of information into larger, meaningful chunks is another effective memory strategy. An example is the telephone number. Ten separate digits could break the bounds of memory, yet recall increases when grouped into unified sections. 1123456789 can be chunked as (112) 345-6789. Most people can store five to nine pieces of data simultaneously, but remarkably, four larger chunks of information, increasing overall cognitive capacity.
Neuroscientist Daniel Bor hails chunking as the brain's power to "hack" the confines of memory with a story of a research participant who desired an improved memory. At the beginning of the experiment, the participant remembered just seven items on a list. After 20 months of one-hour-a-day practice, four days per week, he increased to 80 memorized items.
With chunking, small bites of the elephant are connected into more meaningful units and remembered with greater ease. So how does it work? Try it with your next grocery list by grouping similar items together, i.e., all fruit, dairy, or toiletries. Even my son's abstract vocabulary word list can be categorized into sections of related words, whether alphabetical, similar meanings, or sounds.
-Mnemonic Strategy #3- Method of loci- Saving the best for last, the big kahuna of mnemonics is the Method of loci. Synonymous with the "Journey Method" and "Mind Palace," it's used by memory champions and considered the most useful technique for remembering long lists of words or numbers. A study by Radboud University's cognitive neuroscientist, Martin Dresler, investigated 35 memory champions and found a common denominator. “Without exception, all of them tell us that they had a pretty normal memory before they learned of mnemonic strategies and started training in them... “Also, without exception, they say the method of loci is the most important strategy.”
The Method of loci originated in the fifth century BC. Greek poet Simonides had just finished reciting poetry at a banquet when another guest called him outside. While outside, the banquet hall tragically collapsed, killing the guests beneath the rubble. Impossible to identify the crushed guests, Simonides employed visual imagery to determine each person's name. By picturing the banquet hall in his mind, he remembered each guest's seat and location around the table. Then, viewing the area of the bodies beneath the demolition, he named each guest in order to bless them with a respectable burial.
The loci technique uses mental pictures. Thinking of a specific location (a park or your home) and placing particular items you need to remember throughout that location is the core of this strategy. When remembering a long list of things, visualize yourself walking through a familiar place- your home, park, or other locale. Visually stroll through, placing items you need to remember at precise places within that location. For example, to remember a grocery list, you could place an orange tree in the front entrance of your home to remember to buy oranges, or you could put a dog in the kitchen to remember dog food.
Two essentials for effective loci strategy are meaning and order. The chosen location must mean something to you. Attempting loci using random visual sites fails due to the challenge of vividly picturing unfamiliar places. Any items placed would also be tough to remember. Effective locations might include your workplace, a familiar park, or your home. Any locale can work, but only if it's familiar.
Another factor for successful loci is the order of the visually placed items. They must be placed in the order of use. For example, to recall a To-Do List, items reminding you of your first tasks of the day should be situated near your home's entryway while placing lower priority tasks towards the back of your home.
Conclusively, mnemonics are powerhouses for weary, Spring-feverish students like my son, but they can also improve long-term memory. Like any muscle, skill, or talent, the adage, “Use it or lose it,” rings true. Practicing mnemonics as a habit is both an effective short and long-term memory strategy and great mental exercise. Research suggests
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