- Acronyms and Acrostics: (for
information involving key words)
An acronym is
an invented combination of letters. Each letter is a cue
to an idea you need to remember. Example: BRASS is an
acronym for how to shoot a rifle--Breath, Relax, Aim,
Sight, Squeeze.
An acrostic is an invented sentence where
the first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need
to remember. Example: EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FUN is an
acrostic to remember the order of G-clef notes on sheet
music--E, G, B, D, F.
- Rhyme-Keys: (for ordered or
unordered lists)
First, memorize key words that
can be associated with numbers. For instance, bun with
one; shoe with two, tree with three, door with four, hive
with five, etc.
Next create an image of the items you need to remember
with key words. For example, if you had to remember the
four basic food groups-- diary products; meat, fish, and
poultry; grains; and fruit and vegetables--imagine cheese
on a bun, livestock with shoes on, a sack of grain
suspended in a tree, and opening a door to a room stocked
with fruits and vegetables.
- The Method of Loci: (for
approximately twenty items)
Select any location that
you have spent a lot of time in and have easily memorized.
Imagine yourself walking through the location, selecting
clearly defined places--the door, sofa, refrigerator,
shelf, etc. Imagine yourself putting objects that you need
to remember into each of these places by walking through
this location in a direct path. Again, you need a standard
direct path and clearly defined locations for objects to
facilitate the retrieval of these objects. For example if
you had to remember George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
and Richard Nixon, you could imagine walking up to the
door of your location and seeing a dollar bill stuck in
the door; when you open the door Jefferson is reclining on
the sofa and Nixon is eating out of the refrigerator.
- The Keyword Method: (for
foreign language vocabulary)
First, after considering
the foreign word you need to remember, select a key word
in English that sounds like the foreign word.
Next, imagine an image which involves the key word with
the English meaning of the foreign word.
For example, consider the Spanish word "cabina"
which means "phone booth." For the English
keyword, you might think of "cab in a ... ." You
could then invent an image of a cab trying to fit in a
phone booth. When you see the word "cabina" on
the test, you should be able to recall the image of the
cab and you should be able to retrieve the definition
"phone booth."
- The Image-Name Technique: (for
remembering names)
Simply invent any relationship between the name and the
physical characteristics of the person. For example, if
you had to remember Shirley Temple's name, you might
ingrain the name in memory by noticing that she has
"curly" (rhymes with Shirley) hair around her
temples.
- Chaining: (for ordered or
unordered lists)
Create a story where each
word or idea you have to remember cues the next idea you
need to recall. If you had to remember the words Napoleon,
ear, door, and Germany, you could invent a story of
Napoleon with his ear to a door listening to people speak
in German.
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