Mnemonic Techniques and Memory Tricks

7/27/2019 Mnemonic Techniques and Memory Tricks

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Mnemonic Techniques & Memory Tricks

From the Academic Advising Office, Grinnell College JRC 3rd floor, x3702

1. Acronyms: You form acronyms by using each first letter from a group of words to form a new word (i.e.SCUBA = Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). This is particularly useful when remembering

words in a particular order. Acronyms can be useful memory aids, but they are only useful for rote memory

not comprehension of material. Acronyms can also be difficult to form, as not all lists of words will lend

themselves equally well to this technique. Acronyms, like everything else, can also be forgotten if not

committed to memory.

2. Sentence/Acrostics: Like acronyms, you use the first letter of each word you are trying to remember to forman acrostic. Instead of making a new word, though, you use the letters to make a sentence (i.e., My Dear Aunt

Sally = mathematical order of operations: Multiply and Divide before you Add and Subtract; King Phil Came

Over for the Genes Special = Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus, Species). Acrostics can be very simple to

remember and are particularly helpful when you need to remember a list in a particular order. They are less

limiting than acronyms (if your list doesnt form an easy-to-remember acronym, use an acrostic). But, they take

more thought to create and require the memorization of an entire sentence rather than just one word.

3. Rhymes/Songs: Rhythm, repetition, melody, and rhyme can all aid memory. Storytellers use rhyme, rhythmand repetition in order to remember stories. Do you remember learning the alphabet? Many children learn theletters of the alphabet to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Rhymes and songs draw on your auditory

memory and may be particularly useful to students who can learn tunes, poems, or songs easily. Again, rhymes

and songs emphasize rote memory, not understanding. Dont spend too much time creating rhymes and songs;this technique should be used judiciously as to not interfere with studying.

4. Method of Loci/Method of Loci: This technique was used by ancient orators to remember speeches, and itcombines the use of organization, visual memory, and association. Before using this technique, you must identify

a common path that you walk. This can be the walk from your room to class, a walk around your house, etc. It

is essential to have a vivid visual memory of the path and the objects along it. Now, imagine yourself walking

along that path and identify specific landmarks that you will pass (i.e., your dorm room, the front of theresidence hall, a familiar statue, etc.) The number of landmarks you choose depend on the number of things you

need to remember. Once you have determined your path and landmarks, mentally associate each piece of

information that you need to remember with one of these landmarks (i.e., if you are trying to remember a list of

mnemonics, you might remember firstacronymsby picturing SCUBA gear in your dorm room; SCUBA is anacronym).

5. Vivid Associations/Visualization: When learning something new and unfamiliar, try pairing it with somethingyou know very well, such as images, puns, music, whatever. The association does not have to make logical

sense. Often times it is associations that are particularly vivid, humorous, or silly that stay in your mind (i.e., if

you have to remember the name Robert Green, picture Robert playing golf on the green, wearing greenclothes, or covered in green paint.). You can also use diagrams, tables, outlines, etc. Take advantage of pictures

cartoons, charts, graphs, or any other visual material in your textbook, or draw these things yourself. Try to

visualize how the ideas relate to each other and draw a chart, graph, picture or some other representation ofthe material on paper, using clay, on the blackboard, etc.

6. Peg System: Items that are to be learned are hooked by vivid mental images onto the pegs that have alreadybeen learned in a certain order. This system is helpful when something is to be learned in order or in steps.

Here is a list of peg words from one to ten:

One is a bun. Six is sticks.

Two is a shoe. Seven is heaven.Three is a tree. Eight is a gate.

Four is a door. Nine is a mine.

Five is a hive. Ten is a hen.


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All peg words are concrete nouns that easily be associated mentally with the items to be learned. For example,

if the fourth word to be learned is chlorophyll, it will be retained better if it is translated into something like

the opening of a GREEN DOOR.

You can also visualize numbers themselves as pictures and associate your list of things to memorize with thesepictures:

1 is a pen. 6 is a golf club.2 is a swan. 7 is a cliff.

3 is a bird in flight. 8 is a snowman.

4 is a sailboat. 9 is a lollipop.

5 is a hook. 10 is a bat and ball.

7. Chunking/Grouping: This technique is generally used when remembering numbers, although the idea can beused for remembering other things as well. It is based on the idea that short-term memory is limited in the

number of things that can be contained. A common rule is that a person can remember 5-9 things at one time(i.e., a phone number of 7 digits). When you use chunking, you decrease the number of items you are holding

in memory by reducing the size of each item (i.e., to remember 64831996, you could think 64-83-1996).

8. Linking: Instead of associating the item to be remembered with a layout or a peg, you can link them together.The link system is used to remember whatever needs to be remembered in sequence only. By using concrete

images, adding lots of color, detail, and action, you could remember this sequence. For example, you need tolearn the following four words in this order: grocery store, bread, milk, and hamburger. Visualize the grocery

store with a huge loaf of bread on the roof. Then visualize yourself dumping a gallon of milk over a loaf of

bread. Next, visualize a cow with a picture of a burger and a glass of milk tattooed on its side (since both of

these items come from a cow). Now if you trigger your memories by actually going to the grocery store, youwill be able to remember this sequence using your linked visualizations.

9. Talk It Out: It might help to recite information aloud, if you are an auditory or kinesthetic learner. You mightrepeat ideas verbatim (if you need to do rote memorization) or you can repeat ideas in your own words (to

ensure a true understanding of the information). Repeating information aloud can help you encode the

information and identify how well you have learned it. If reciting aloud seems silly (Im talking to myself), work

with a friend or group. This also helps with comprehension, to clarify concepts or misunderstandings.

10.Teach the Material: Another effective way to enhance recall and understanding of dense material is to teach itto an imaginary audience (or even to a real audience of classmates or friends). By doing so, you are forced toorganize the material in a way that makes sense to you and to anticipate potential questions that may be asked

by your students. You may also uncover gaps in your comprehension and recall of the material. If you have

mastered a particular section from your textbook, try delivering an organized lecture on any topic from that

section. Then check for accuracy. Anticipate questions that might be asked by students as a way of anticipating

potential test questions.

11.Practice Makes Perfect: Repeating is still a great memory aid. Remember the childrens game Im going on apicnic, and Im bringing? As each new object is added, the old object is repeated. People can often

remember a large number of objects this way. Once you are able to remember five items on your list without

looking, add a sixth item, repeat the whole list from the start, then add a seventh, and so on. Breaking up the

information into small bits that you can learn, one step at a time, can be much easier than you think. You might

even utilize grouping techniques to form meaningful groups that you can learn one at a time.


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12.Final Tips:Use positive pleasant images; the brain often blocks out unpleasant ones.

Exaggerate the size of important parts of the image (MAKE IT HUGE OR MAKE IT MANY).

Use humor! Funny and peculiar things are easier to remember than normal ones. Similarly rude or

sexual rhymes are very difficult to forget (MAKE IT STRANGE).

Symbols (red traffic lights, pointing fingers, etc.) can be used in mnemonics.

Vivid, colorful images are easier to remember than drab ones.

Use all your senses to code information or dress up an image; your mnemonics can contain sounds,

smells, tastes, touch, movements, and feelings as well as pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc.

Bringing three dimensions and movement to an image make it more vivid; movement can be used

either to maintain the flow of association or to remember actions (MAKE IT MOVE).

Locate similar mnemonics in different places with backgrounds of those places. This will help keep

similar images distinct and unconfused.

The important thing is that the mnemonic should clearly relate to the thing being remembered, and it should be

vivid enough to be clearly remembered whenever you think about it.

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Mnemonic Techniques and Memory Tricks