Strategies For Improving Memory

Strategies For Improving Memory

1. 1. Verbal mnemonics use words to aid recall

   • Acronym
     • A word or phrase is formed from the initial letters of whatever we’re attempting to commit to memory.
   • Acrostic
     • A poem or sentence where the first letter of each word or line helps us recall sequence etc
   • Rhymes
     • Rhymes are a much easier way to remember
   • Involves organisation of the material to be recalled
   • Chunking
     • Involves creating something more meaningful - and therefore memorable -from seemingly random bits of information

2. 2. Visual imagery Mnemonics

   • Relate mental images of what you know to what you want to understand. Images should be:
     • 1) Vivid
     • 2) Interactive
     • 3) Bizarre
   • Wollen et al. (1972)
     • Images were provided with word pairs. The more the items in the images interacted, the better the recall. Interaction allows chunking of items.

3. 3. Cues and context

   • This type of retrieval involves the relationship between the retrieval of information and the environment in which it was learned.
   • Godden and Baddeley (1975)
     • Divers could recall more words if they were tested in the same location (land or underwater) as they learned the words.

4. Method of Loci

   • Used to help remember a list of unrelated words.
     • You would think of a route you take regularly and you would then associate the words to locations on the route.

5. Story Method

   • Used to remember a list of unrelated words by linking them together within the context of a story