Memory Techniques

General Principles You can learn new information more easily if you associate it with something you already know or remember. Make associations conscious by using your intellect and your imagination. Use All Your Senses This increases the chance of remembering because you are using more neurons to create the memory. Remember, or, associate with, all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. Visualization Form a picture in your mind’s eye of the things you want to remember. Bizarre or unusual images are easier to remember. For example, visualize large, man-eating plants growing out of your washing machine so you will think of watering your plants when you do the laundry. Use action, humour, exaggeration and large numbers of items to help create bizarre images. Research Indicates memory is facilitated if you use both sides of your brain. Left side—logic, words, lists, numbers, sequences, analysis. Right side—rhythm, imagination, emotions, sensations, daydreaming, color, size, spatial awareness. Most memory problems are due to lack of attention. Making a conscious decision to recall something is the first important step. Story or Link Method Link together items or ideas to be remembered in an unusual story. For example you need to get gas, go to the cleaners and buy milk. Link the items together in a story, gas spills on your clothes and you try to wash it off with milk. More associations = more memory. First Letter Cues Acronyms make a word out of the first letter of each item to be recalled e.g. HOMES spells the great lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. Acrostics - first item stands for a word in a phrase. e.g.: when parking your car remember to turn off the lights, take keys, lock it and note where you parked (lights, keys, lock, park). The acrostic could be Little Kids Like Pickles. Recalling Dates Associate the date to be recalled with a date you already remember. e.g.: the day before Halloween, a week after your birthday, two days after the 4th of July, a month before Christmas, etc. Dates can become prices ($18.99) or a time (12:15 pm). Rhyme or Rhythm Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. In treating shock, if the face is red, raise the head, if the face is pale, raise the tail. Time of doctor appointment (2:00 pm), I’m blue at two.

Learning New Material Preview the material, table of contents, headings and what you hope to learn. Break up material to be learned into smaller parts. Recite, re-tell the material to yourself as if explaining it to someone else. Review and go over new material until it is learned. Spaced review - study and review over a period of days rather than trying to learn all the material immediately.

Exaggeration and Humour We find it easier to remember things that are out of the ordinary in some way. If we are using association or visualization as memory strategies, exaggeration and humour can make recalling the memory even easier. Repetition Repeating the information is necessary in the memory process. Retrieval becomes quicker and easier the more we repeat or use the information. Pacing Research suggests that if we attempt to take in too much information at one time, our ability to remember is compromised. Shorter sessions (e.g. study sessions and classes) are more beneficial for remembering. Take breaks and exercise. Meaningfulness Recall is easier if the material or information is personally meaningful in some way. Try to attach some meaning that is important to you. Practice Use flashcards. Put ideas in your own words. Mind map or use Cornell notes. Combine memory methods. Form a study group.

Many factors affect our ability to recall. To ensure our memory is fit, there are a number of things that we can do. Use it or Lose It! Exercise Your Brain • Play games like chess, scrabble & bridge; do crosswords, logic puzzles & general knowledge games. • Take a course. • Participate in mentally demanding tasks. Feed Your Brain • Eat breakfast. Don’t skip the first meal of the day because you are in a hurry, instead plan ahead and

have quick, nutritious foods ready that you can grab on short notice. • Ensure you have a balanced diet that includes all the nutrients vital for the brain: iron, protein,

omega 3’s, sodium and potassium, as well as complex carbohydrates. • Avoid sugar and fatty foods. Relieve Stress and Anxiety • Too much stress and we lose our short term memory. See some of our other resources for dealing

with stress. Adapted from the work of Susan Higginson, Wake Up Your Memory and www.memoryimp.freeuk.com