How to Improve Memory

 

Memory

Memory refers to retaining & recalling information over a period of time, depending upon the nature of cognitive task you are required to perform.

Memory works on past experience & use all those information in the present.

Without memory of past we cannot operate in the present or think about the future . Without memory we could not learn anything.

Improving Everyday Memory

Mnemonics devices are strategies for enhancing memory. In fact, they have a long and honorable history. Actually mnemonics devices were even more crucial in ancient times than they are today.

Mnemonics can be helpful in some situations but they are not a cure-all. They can be hard to use and hard to apply to many every day situations.

Here less exotic strategies- such as increasing rehearsal, engaging in deeper processing, and organizing material -  are more crucial to everyday memory, now we will discuss some popular mnemonics :- 

Engage in adequate rehearsal :-  practice makes perfect, or so you've heard. In reality practice is not likely to guarantee perfection. However, it usually leads to improved retention.( Retention refers to the proportion of material retained/ remember)

Retention improves with increased rehearsal. This improvement presumably occurs because rehearsal helps transfer information into long term memory LTM. 

Research suggests that testing actually enhance retention,a phenomenon dubbed the testing effect or test enhanced learning. Taking a test on material increases performance on a subsequent test even more than studying or rereading for an equal amount of time does. 

The testing effect is not limited to rote learning, it can enhance in-depth meaningful learning, as well.

Why is testing so beneficial? The reason behind that testing forces students to engage in effortful retrieval of information, even unsuccessful retrieval efforts can enhance retention.

Schedule distributed practice and minimize interference :- 

Retention tends to be greater after distributed practice than after massed practice. Studied showed that the longer the retention interval between studying and testing, the bigger the advantage for distributed practice. The longer the retention interval, the longer the optimal break between practice trials.

Example:- let's assume that you need to study 9 hours for an exam. Should you cram all your  studying into continuous 9 hours period (massed practice) or it is better to distribute your study among, 3 hours periods on successive days ( distributed practice).

Interference is a major cause of forgetting. This issue is especially important for students because memorizing information for one course can interfere with the retention of information for another course. Thus, the day before an exam in a course, you should study for that course only.

Engage in deep processing and organizing information :-   if you expect to remember what you read, you have to fully comprehend it's meaning. Benefit if you spent less time on rote memorization and more on paying attention to and analysing the meaning of their reading assignments. Try to relate information to your own life and experience. 

It is also important to understand that retention tends to be greater when information is well organized. Hierarchical organization is particularly helpful when it is applicable.

Enrich encoding with mnemonic devices:-   Although it's often helpful to make information personally meaningful, it's not always easy to do so. Thus, many mnemonic devices such as - acrostic, acronyms and narrative methods are designed to  make abstract material more meaningful. Other mnemonic devices depends on visual imagery.

Acrostics and acronyms:-  acrostics are phrases (poems) in which the first letter of each word functions as a cue to help you recall information to be remembered.

Acronyms, a word formed out of the first letters of a series of words.

Example:-  the order of colors in the spectrum often store the name "Roy G Biv" to remember red, orange, yellow, green, Blue, indigo, violet.

It can be  effective memory tools.

Link method :-  The link method involves forming a mental image of items to be remembered in a way that links them together. 

Notice that the more bizarre you make your image, the more helpful it is likely to be.

Method of loci :-  The method of loci involves taking an imaginary walk along a familiar path where images of items to be remembered are associated with certain locations.

The  first step is to commit to memory a series of loci, or places, along a path. Usually these loci are specific locations in your home or neighborhood. Then envision each thing you want to remember in one of these locations. When you need to remember the items, imagine yourself walking along the path. The various loci on your path should serve as cues for the retrieval of the images that you formed.

Research suggests that the method of loci can be effective in increasing retention. This method ensures that items are remembered in their correct order.

Famous Scientists on Memory

Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experience in order to use this information in the present. (Sternbery , 1999)

Memory is the process of maintaining information over time .(Martin , 2005)