How to improve your memory: Mnemonics and more

Classes without Quizzes Wofford College October 2, 2009

A little about me

What do you remember about me? Write down as many facts as possible.

Something a bit more familiar

Which is the real penny?

Something a bit more familiar

How many people have selected each answer c/o Common Cents

http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/common_cents/results.html

Why do you need MEMORY?

Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us. ~Oscar Wilde Memory is the primary and fundamental power, without which there could be no other intellectual operation. ~Samuel Johnson How do you use your memory everyday? What if you couldnt create new memories?

Amnesia patient: Clive Wearing

Types of memory

Episodic Semantic

Implicit Learning

How memory changes as we age

Changes depend on type of memory

Stability for non-declarative memory Stability for semantic memory Declines for episodic memory

25 20
Number Correct

15 10 5 0 20 30

Recognition

Recall

Age groups

40

50

60

How can I improve my memory?

Most popular answer: Mnemonic devices

Learn the following list by READING each pair as many times as possible.

Horse Table Island Hat Door Note Bear Apple

Basket Cloud Ring Ship Snow Window Pencil Hammer

Clock Moon
Building - Dog

Bread Car
Meat - Envelope

RECALL as many words as possible.

Horse Island Door Bear

Basket Ring Snow Pencil

Clock
Building -

Bread
Meat -

ANSWERS

Horse Table

Basket Cloud

Island Hat
Door Note

Ring Ship
Snow Window

Bear Apple
Clock Moon Building - Dog

Pencil Hammer
Bread Car Meat - Envelope

Common mnemonic devices

Acronyms and acrostics

ROY G BIV Every good boy deserves fudge Thirty days has September i before e except after c

Rhyming

Stories Songs

Dual-coding technique

Example

The Great Lakes: HOMES Interactive Vivid Bizarre

Visualization

Now TWO ways to remember

Word Picture

Learn the following list by creating an interactive, vivid and bizarre interaction of the 2 items.

Road flower River table Bird fruit Rain rock

Box garden Book cup Ice train Fence letter

Dress - money
Cow - paper

Egg chair
Paint - hammer

RECALL as many words as possible.

Road River Bird Rain

Box Book Ice Fence

Dress
Cow

Egg
Paint

ANSWERS

Road flower
River table

Box garden
Book cup

Bird fruit
Rain rock Dress - money Cow - paper

Ice train
Fence letter Egg chair Paint - hammer

Imagename mnemonic

Use to remember name with face

Think of vivid word that sounds like name Link word with persons appearance Rodney Flanery

Example

Image: Football player with rod in his knee, so benched and wearing flannel to stay warm

Create one for your own name (or mine)!

Keyword mnemonic

Use to learn new or foreign language words

Think of vivid word that sounds like to-be-remembered word Link vivid word with meaning

Example

Pato spanish for duck Image: Pot on top of Donald ducks head

Create one:

Skulk to hide in a sneaky manner Image: Skull tip-toeing and hiding behind a couch

Create keyword mnemonics for one of the following vocabulary words

Bombastic

Pompous To labor, to drudge A predicament

Moil

Quagmire

Jocular

Given to or characterized by joking

One who roams in search of amusement or social activity A relation characterized by sympathy and mutual trust

Gadabout

Rapport

Method of Loci

Used by Greek orators

1: Memorize familiar locations in natural order 2: Create visual image of word with each location Recall: take a mental walk In the first place

Method of Loci: Campus Map

First, memorize the locations in order

Olin DuPre Main Snyder Library Carlisle Daniel Milliken Burwell Shipp

Begin to write only after I have given the signal, Go.

Olin DuPre Main Snyder Library Carlisle Daniel Milliken Burwell Shipp

Apple Piano Hammer Cake Planet Pizza Kite Bus Butterfly Scissors

Method of Loci: Answers

Apple Piano Hammer Cake Planet Pizza Kite Bus Butterfly Scissors

Try mnemonics out

Use mnemonics to remember names and faces, hometown, and other life information Biggest piece of advice?? Take the time to TRY to remember and pay ATTENTION!

The true art of memory is the art of attention ~Samuel Johnson

ATTENTION!

Why mnemonics work

Use effort to try to remember

Pay attention Verbal and visual representations Group information into chunks Use existing knowledge Think about meaning and make distinctive

Create (multiple) retrieval cues

Organization

Notice relationships

Elaboration

Generation effect

Make it personal

Limitations of Mnemonics

Take a long time How to deal with abstract info? Need creative ability Confuse info if use same device Does not help understanding of material Doesnt help memory in general Need to practice mnemonics to get better at using them

Other ways to improve memory

When mnemonics wont work or dont want to use them Use spaced repetition Group (chunk) information Make it meaningful Use retrieval cues

Thanks for coming!

Any questions?
Or questions about my research?

Factors that influence memory

Perception and attention Retrieval cues Rehearsal Distributed vs. massed practice Serial position Reduce proactive interference Maintenance vs. elaborative rehearsal Elaboration

Generation effect Association Self-reference effect Transfer appropriate processing Encoding specificity State dependent learning Dual-coding Imagery Organization Decay Interference

Other types of memory and memory phenomenon

Autobiographical memory

Woman who remembers everything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2wYcFnTkgo&feature=related

Flashbulb memories False memories First memories Prospective memory Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

POPCORN

P pace yourself 15/5 rule (study/break) O observation see connections P picture it visualization C concentration - attention O organization group info into chunks R review it (out loud) rehearsal/repetition N natural observation connect to self

Schools/mascots

Bates College (ME) Bobcats UCLA Bruins Citadel Bulldogs Gettysburg College Bullets Stanford Univ Cardinal U of Virginia Cavaliers College of Charleston Cougars Middlebury College Panthers Seton Hall Univ Pirates U of Arkansas Razorbacks UNC Wilmington Seahawks U of Maryland - Terrapins

Emory University - Eagles Stetson Univ Hatters U of Conn Huskies Carleton College Knights Columbia U Lions Lehigh Univ Mountain Hawks Temple Univ Owls Furman Paladins Elon Univ Phoenix Colgate Univ Raiders Carnegie Mellon University Tartans Fairfield Univ Stags

Fruits

Loquat Pear Apricot Plum Blackberry Currant Kiwi Cranberry Cantaloupe Fig Pomegranate

Grapefruit Mandarin Clementine Tangerine Avocado Passion fruit Banana Papaya Crabapple Prickly pear Persimmon

European Countries

Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany

Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Republic of Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro

Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom

Has 5 or more children Went to college

Can play a musical instrument Met a movie star

Seen a President in person Served in the military

Has been married

Never broken a bone Never flown on an airplane Worked as a teacher

Has a hidden talent

Has been to Disney World

Lived in a foreign country

YOUR NAME ________

Grew up on a farm

Knows a second language Lived in Spartanburg entire life

Owns a computer

Has 10 or more grandkids

Has traveled to Europe

Is an only child

Owned a convertible

Has a friend Been to an who lives in Elvis concert another state

Is ambidexterous

Loves to play with children

Can play the piano

Is a vegetarian

Has a niece or nephew

Knows the dates of the Civil War

Favorite color Has jumped in is green puddles after rain Has seen Disneys Cars movie Lived in a foreign country

Loves to take pictures

Doesnt like to Wants to learn eat how to fly an vegetables airplane Has been to the Greenville Zoo Wrote a letter to a friend in the past year

YOUR NAME ________

Wants to learn a second language Has helped destroy kudzo

Has allergies to cats or dogs Prefers chocolate over vanilla ice cream

Has planted flowers in a garden Has traveled to Tennessee

Has gone on a drive in an RV Likes to play computer games

Is an only child

Has read a new book in the past month

Has 4 or more siblings Wants to go to college in the North Has been to Disney World

Can play a musical instrument Met a famous athlete Lived in a foreign country

Seen a Wofford sports game Plans to serve in the military YOUR NAME ________

Wants to become a doctor Has a hidden talent

Never broken a bone Never flown on an airplane

Has worked Worked at a on a farm grocery store

Knows a second language Lived in Spartanburg entire life

Uses a cell phone daily

Is one of 10 or more grandkids Has a friend who lives in another state

Has been to a zoo

Is an only child

Owns an ipod

Been to a music concert

Is ambidexterous

Has 4 or more siblings Wants to go to college in the North Has been to Disney World

Can play a musical instrument Met a famous athlete Lived in a foreign country

Seen a Wofford sports game Plans to serve in the military YOUR NAME ________

Wants to become a doctor Has a hidden talent

Never broken a bone Never flown on an airplane

Has worked Worked at a on a farm grocery store

Knows a second language Lived in Spartanburg entire life

Uses a cell phone daily

Is one of 10 or more grandkids Has a friend who lives in another state

Has been to a zoo

Is an only child

Owns an ipod

Been to a music concert

Is ambidexterous