Strategies for Memory Improvement
Memory & Organisation
- According to Baddeley (2005) one way to improve our memory is
to organise the information to be learned. The importance of
organisation for memory has been shown by three kinds of
evidence:
1. Organised material is easier to recall than disorganised
material.
2. Evidence that participants given random information
spontaneously begin to organise it.
3. Experiments that show instructions to organise material
enhance participants recall because they improve their
understanding of the material.
Mnemonic Techniques
- A mnemonic is any structured technique that is used to help
people remember and recall information.
- There are two main types of mnemonics:
- Verbal mnemonics.
- Visual imagery mnemonics.
Verbal Mnemonic
- A variety of memory improvement techniques use words:
Acronym
An Acronym is where a word or sentence is formed from the initial
letters of other words. For example, ROYGBIV is used to remember
the colours of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo
and Violet.
Acrostic
An Acrostic is a poem or sentence where the first letter in each line
or word forms the item to be remembered. For example, My Very
Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets is used to remember
the order of planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Rhymes
Rhymes are groups of words with an identity and rhythm. For
example, young children often use the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star” to remember the letters of the alphabet.
Memory & Organisation
- According to Baddeley (2005) one way to improve our memory is
to organise the information to be learned. The importance of
organisation for memory has been shown by three kinds of
evidence:
1. Organised material is easier to recall than disorganised
material.
2. Evidence that participants given random information
spontaneously begin to organise it.
3. Experiments that show instructions to organise material
enhance participants recall because they improve their
understanding of the material.
Mnemonic Techniques
- A mnemonic is any structured technique that is used to help
people remember and recall information.
- There are two main types of mnemonics:
- Verbal mnemonics.
- Visual imagery mnemonics.
Verbal Mnemonic
- A variety of memory improvement techniques use words:
Acronym
An Acronym is where a word or sentence is formed from the initial
letters of other words. For example, ROYGBIV is used to remember
the colours of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo
and Violet.
Acrostic
An Acrostic is a poem or sentence where the first letter in each line
or word forms the item to be remembered. For example, My Very
Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets is used to remember
the order of planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Rhymes
Rhymes are groups of words with an identity and rhythm. For
example, young children often use the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star” to remember the letters of the alphabet.
