Types of mnemonic devices psychology
Mnemonic Devices: Types, Examples, and Benefits
Mnemonic devices — like acronyms, chunking, and rhymes — work by tapping into how the brain naturally stores data.
If you’re like most people, you probably get frustrated when you can’t remember the name of your new co-worker, a friend’s phone number, or even why you walked into a room.
But memory shortages can feel even more frustrating when you have to recall large amounts of information, such as the state capitals or the bones in the human body.
This is where mnemonic devices can come in handy — as tricks to easily memorize things.
You’ve used a mnemonic device if you’ve ever used a rhyme or a song to help you memorize something. It’s simply a fancy word for a memorization tool.
Through various tricks, mnemonic devices can help you remember anything from phone numbers to long lists to other things that would be otherwise difficult to remember.
Share on PinterestDesign by Wenzdai Figueroa
There are several types of mnemonic devices, and many of them overlap in how they work. Below are five of the most common types of mnemonic devices:
- acronyms and acrostics
- association
- chunking
- method of loci
- songs and rhymes
Acronyms and acrostics
An acronym is a word created from the first letter of a group of words or names. For instance: HOMES is an acronym for the five Great Lakes:
- Huron
- Ontario
- Michigan
- Erie
- Superior
Some words we commonly use as “stand-alone” words are acronyms. For example:
- radar (radio detection and ranging)
- laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation)
- scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus)
- gif (graphics interchange format)
An acronym doesn’t even need to be a “real” word — as long as it sounds like one. For instance, many government agencies use acronyms, such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
You can also use acronyms as mnemonic devices in day-to-day situations like grocery shopping.
For example, if you need to remember to buy pasta, apples, cilantro, and eggs at the store and you don’t have a way to write a shopping list, you may easily forget some random items. Creating the acronym (and word) “pace” from the items’ first letters and thinking “pace” as you walk through the grocery store may help you remember all the items you need:
- pasta
- apples
- cilantro
- eggs
An acrostic is a similar mnemonic device, but it can be a sentence or a whole phrase instead of just one word. For example, you’ve likely used a phrase similar to “My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas” to help you remember the nine planets and their order in our solar system:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
- Pluto
Association
Association is a fairly easy technique to help you remember new information.
The idea behind it is that it’s easier to remember new information when you link it to something you already know well.
For example, if you have a new co-worker named Todd and an uncle with the same name, you could imagine your co-worker with glasses, a mustache, and a pencil behind his ear — like your uncle Todd — to help you remember your co-worker’s name.
Similarly, suppose you’re trying to remember that the scientist who invented calculus and discovered the laws of gravity was Isaac Newton. In that case, you could imagine your friend Isaac eating (and dropping) a Fig Newton while doing math.
The stranger and sillier the scenario, the more likely you’ll remember it.
Chunking
Chunking is a mnemonic device in which you break down information into bite-sized “chunks.” Two common examples of chunking are phone numbers and Social Security numbers. Most people divide both of these long numbers into three sections.
Chunking allows the brain to memorize more information than usual.
According to the late psychologist George A. Miller, the average short-term memory capacity is about seven items, plus or minus two, depending on the person. Miller also suggested that verbal short-term memory capacity is determined by the number of chunks stored in memory.
Chunking comes in handy when memorizing random items, such as a password. For instance, trying to memorize P3850tf21 would be quite difficult. But if you break it down: P38-50-tf21, it becomes a lot easier.
So why does chunking allow more items to be stored in the brain? Research from 2021 suggests that chunking may be a long-term memory function. Therefore, chunking allows people to tap into their long-term memory function to extend the capability of their short-term memory.
Method of loci
The method of loci — sometimes called the “memory palace technique” — involves remembering items based on their locations.
According to legend, the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos temporarily excused himself from a large banquet to speak with someone outside.
Soon after he left, a disaster ensued, and the entire structure collapsed on everyone inside. The scene was chaotic, and even family members could not identify the bodies.
However, once the debris was cleared, Simonides was able to help identify the dead correctly because he remembered exactly where each person had been sitting. This story is commonly retold as an example of how to recall large groups of items.
For example, your grandmother has asked you to stop at the store to pick up five random items:
- a scented candle
- flip-flops
- paper towels
- honey
- a purple flower pot
You don’t have any way to write down the list and need to memorize it.
To use the method of loci, try the following:
- Imagine an area you know very well, such as your home.
- Imagine each item’s exaggerated or silly form placed somewhere in your home.
In practice, this may look something like this:
- Imagine arriving at your front door and seeing a large flickering candle there.
- As you mentally walk inside your house, you “see” a pair of flip-flops hanging from the air conditioning vent.
- Then you imagine your brother holding a paper towel roll in the family photo on the wall in the entryway.
- You enter the kitchen and see a large honeycomb dripping with honey and swarming bees on the kitchen countertop.
- The honey is dripping into a purple flowerpot below.
Songs and rhymes
Songs and rhymes are very effective mnemonic devices. Most young children are taught to remember the entire alphabet — 26 random letters in a row — by reciting it in a simple rhyming tune.
Songs and rhymes work for adults as well. Just think of how easily you sing along when an old song comes on the radio.
Singing can help with many types of learning. Research from 2013 shows that a foreign language can be more easily memorized when put into a song. A 2021 study also indicates that singing may improve memory and well-being in people with dementia.
Research from 2019 shows that learning is more efficient when people use mnemonic devices. These memory tools work by tapping into how your brain naturally stores data.
Below are some of the advantages of using mnemonic devices:
- You become an active learner when you sort the information in a way you can remember.
- Mnemonic tools allow you to recall large amounts of information that would be incredibly difficult to remember.
- You’re able to quickly retrieve information from your long-term memory.
Mnemonic devices are useful learning aids when memorizing large amounts of information.
Using memory-boosting tools, such as loci, chunking, or rhyming, can make learning much easier and even fun. So you don’t have to despair if you’re being tested on the state capitals or the periodic table.
Mnemonic Devices: Types, Examples, and Benefits
Mnemonic devices — like acronyms, chunking, and rhymes — work by tapping into how the brain naturally stores data.
If you’re like most people, you probably get frustrated when you can’t remember the name of your new co-worker, a friend’s phone number, or even why you walked into a room.
But memory shortages can feel even more frustrating when you have to recall large amounts of information, such as the state capitals or the bones in the human body.
This is where mnemonic devices can come in handy — as tricks to easily memorize things.
You’ve used a mnemonic device if you’ve ever used a rhyme or a song to help you memorize something. It’s simply a fancy word for a memorization tool.
Through various tricks, mnemonic devices can help you remember anything from phone numbers to long lists to other things that would be otherwise difficult to remember.
Share on PinterestDesign by Wenzdai Figueroa
There are several types of mnemonic devices, and many of them overlap in how they work. Below are five of the most common types of mnemonic devices:
- acronyms and acrostics
- association
- chunking
- method of loci
- songs and rhymes
Acronyms and acrostics
An acronym is a word created from the first letter of a group of words or names.
For instance: HOMES is an acronym for the five Great Lakes:
- Huron
- Ontario
- Michigan
- Erie
- Superior
Some words we commonly use as “stand-alone” words are acronyms. For example:
- radar (radio detection and ranging)
- laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation)
- scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus)
- gif (graphics interchange format)
An acronym doesn’t even need to be a “real” word — as long as it sounds like one. For instance, many government agencies use acronyms, such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
You can also use acronyms as mnemonic devices in day-to-day situations like grocery shopping.
For example, if you need to remember to buy pasta, apples, cilantro, and eggs at the store and you don’t have a way to write a shopping list, you may easily forget some random items.
Creating the acronym (and word) “pace” from the items’ first letters and thinking “pace” as you walk through the grocery store may help you remember all the items you need:
- pasta
- apples
- cilantro
- eggs
An acrostic is a similar mnemonic device, but it can be a sentence or a whole phrase instead of just one word. For example, you’ve likely used a phrase similar to “My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas” to help you remember the nine planets and their order in our solar system:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
- Pluto
Association
Association is a fairly easy technique to help you remember new information.
The idea behind it is that it’s easier to remember new information when you link it to something you already know well.
For example, if you have a new co-worker named Todd and an uncle with the same name, you could imagine your co-worker with glasses, a mustache, and a pencil behind his ear — like your uncle Todd — to help you remember your co-worker’s name.
Similarly, suppose you’re trying to remember that the scientist who invented calculus and discovered the laws of gravity was Isaac Newton. In that case, you could imagine your friend Isaac eating (and dropping) a Fig Newton while doing math.
The stranger and sillier the scenario, the more likely you’ll remember it.
Chunking
Chunking is a mnemonic device in which you break down information into bite-sized “chunks.” Two common examples of chunking are phone numbers and Social Security numbers. Most people divide both of these long numbers into three sections.
Chunking allows the brain to memorize more information than usual.
According to the late psychologist George A. Miller, the average short-term memory capacity is about seven items, plus or minus two, depending on the person. Miller also suggested that verbal short-term memory capacity is determined by the number of chunks stored in memory.
Chunking comes in handy when memorizing random items, such as a password. For instance, trying to memorize P3850tf21 would be quite difficult. But if you break it down: P38-50-tf21, it becomes a lot easier.
So why does chunking allow more items to be stored in the brain? Research from 2021 suggests that chunking may be a long-term memory function. Therefore, chunking allows people to tap into their long-term memory function to extend the capability of their short-term memory.
Method of loci
The method of loci — sometimes called the “memory palace technique” — involves remembering items based on their locations.
According to legend, the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos temporarily excused himself from a large banquet to speak with someone outside.
Soon after he left, a disaster ensued, and the entire structure collapsed on everyone inside. The scene was chaotic, and even family members could not identify the bodies.
However, once the debris was cleared, Simonides was able to help identify the dead correctly because he remembered exactly where each person had been sitting. This story is commonly retold as an example of how to recall large groups of items.
For example, your grandmother has asked you to stop at the store to pick up five random items:
- a scented candle
- flip-flops
- paper towels
- honey
- a purple flower pot
You don’t have any way to write down the list and need to memorize it.
To use the method of loci, try the following:
- Imagine an area you know very well, such as your home.
- Imagine each item’s exaggerated or silly form placed somewhere in your home.
In practice, this may look something like this:
- Imagine arriving at your front door and seeing a large flickering candle there.
- As you mentally walk inside your house, you “see” a pair of flip-flops hanging from the air conditioning vent.
- Then you imagine your brother holding a paper towel roll in the family photo on the wall in the entryway.
- You enter the kitchen and see a large honeycomb dripping with honey and swarming bees on the kitchen countertop.
- The honey is dripping into a purple flowerpot below.
Songs and rhymes
Songs and rhymes are very effective mnemonic devices. Most young children are taught to remember the entire alphabet — 26 random letters in a row — by reciting it in a simple rhyming tune.
Songs and rhymes work for adults as well. Just think of how easily you sing along when an old song comes on the radio.
Singing can help with many types of learning. Research from 2013 shows that a foreign language can be more easily memorized when put into a song. A 2021 study also indicates that singing may improve memory and well-being in people with dementia.
Research from 2019 shows that learning is more efficient when people use mnemonic devices. These memory tools work by tapping into how your brain naturally stores data.
Below are some of the advantages of using mnemonic devices:
- You become an active learner when you sort the information in a way you can remember.
- Mnemonic tools allow you to recall large amounts of information that would be incredibly difficult to remember.
- You’re able to quickly retrieve information from your long-term memory.
Mnemonic devices are useful learning aids when memorizing large amounts of information.
Using memory-boosting tools, such as loci, chunking, or rhyming, can make learning much easier and even fun. So you don’t have to despair if you’re being tested on the state capitals or the periodic table.
Lesson 5. Mnemonics
Mnemonics (mnemonics techniques) are special methods of memorizing certain types of information based on the characteristics of human psychology, as well as on the four rules of memorization that were given in previous lessons.
Knowledge and use of special mnemonics will allow you to better remember digital information, specific texts and terms, names, faces and surnames, foreign words, expressions and much more.
This lesson will cover the basics of mnemonics, and will describe the basic techniques and methods for remembering various types of information.
Contents:
- What is mnemonics?
- Basic mnemonic devices
- Memorization of numbers and numbers
- Remembering faces and names
- Memorization of foreign words
- Verification test
What is mnemonics?
Mnemonics or mnemonics are specially designed techniques and methods that facilitate the memorization of certain types of information.
In some textbooks and courses, the authors use the term "mnemonics" to refer to the entire set of techniques and methods for memorizing information used for certain data, and the term "mnemonics" is interpreted as the practical application of the methods defined for this particular mnemonic.
The main principle of any mnemonics is the replacement of abstract objects with concepts that have a visual, auditory or less often other sensory representation, linking objects with existing information (building associations) to simplify its memorization.
Basic mnemonic techniques
The applied arsenal of modern mnemonics consists of a large set of unified memorization techniques. Among the main mnemonic techniques and methods, the following can be distinguished:
- Letter code. Formation of semantic phrases from the initial (or purposefully assigned) letters of the memorized information.
- Associations. Finding bright unusual associations that connect with memorized information.
- Rhymes. Create rhyming word pairs or even short poems containing memorable material.
- Consonance. Memorization of terms or foreign words with the help of consonant already known words or phrases.
- Roman room method. Assign memorized objects to specific locations in a room you know well.
In this lesson, for the convenience of learning, all mnemonics will be divided into groups depending on the type of information that these mnemonics help to remember.
Number memorization
The techniques described below are suitable for memorizing information such as telephone and car numbers, historical dates, mathematical and natural science constants, and so on.
Alphanumeric code. Alphanumeric code is one of the most popular (and ancient) mnemonics. This technique is based on the fact that each digit is assigned a specific letter. To memorize large numbers, words, phrases, sentences, or even small stories are made up of such letters.
We will demonstrate the operation of this mnemonics using an example. Below is an alphanumeric code, which is based on the correspondence between the consonants with which most numbers begin, and, in fact, the numbers themselves from 0 to 9.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 nr (“times”) d t h n w s m (“a lot”, because “d” is already occupied by the number 2)
To freely use alphanumeric code, this table needs to be learned very well, it needs to be known no worse than the multiplication table. And in order to remember any number, for example, 739812, you need to do the following:
- Break our number into pairs of numbers: 73-98-12.
- After that, you need to recode the numbers into words: the first consonant in the word is the first digit of a two-digit number, and the second consonant must correspond to the second digit in the alphanumeric code. For the number "73" (letters "s" and "t"), you can make up the words: set, honeycombs, one hundred, sieve and others.
For digits 9and 8 we will compose the word Mavr, and for the numbers 1 and 2 - RaDuga. - Now made up words representing pairs of numbers should be used to create a specific story, for example "One Hundred Moors saw the Rainbow".
Try these methods in practice and take a training on memorizing phones using mnemonics:
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Hanger method or memorizing numbers using the linked association method. The method of words-hangers is based on visual representations and allows you to remember in the correct order a list consisting of any number of numbers. To do this, you need to assign ten so-called hanger words to each number and memorize these words well. And in order to memorize a number consisting of several digits, you need to link the images of the digits of this number with some kind of story. For example, if you assign the image of an athlete to the number 1, and the image of the school to the number 5, then the number 15 can be remembered with the history of an athlete participating in school competitions.
Combination of numbers with images. This mnemonic is based on the fact that each number has a shape (how it looks when written), and this shape can remind you of the outlines of some objects that can be used as hanger words. Zero: circle, ball, sun. Unit: crowbar, lantern, straw. And so on. And as in the method of hangers, when memorizing a number, all its numbers must be connected into some kind of story.
O'Brien method. This mnemonic device is also a modification of the hanger method. Dominic O'Brien suggests using images of famous people to memorize numbers.
Each two-digit number should be assigned some celebrity and its characteristic action, and for each one-digit number, any simple association is selected by type, meaning or consonance (1 - pencil (by type), 3 - pig (by meaning, because you know the tale of the three little pigs), 7 - seeds (according to consonance).
It is important to memorize well the correspondences for each number, both from 0 to 9, and for all the others, starting from 10, so that they are firmly entrenched in the mind.
According to the O'Brien technique, it is easy to create images for numbers from 00 to 99, respectively, there can even be four digits in one image.
It is also very convenient to replace the numbers 0 and from 3 to 9 with the first letters of their names (0 - H, 3 - T, 8 - B, etc.), then focusing on consonances. For example, 88 - Vladimir Vladimirovich, 65 - ShaPoklyak, 87 - Vysotsky, 99 - DzhigurDa. And the numbers 1 and 2 can be replaced by K and L, respectively (K is a pencil (1), L is a swan (2). It turns out that, for example, 52 is Plushenko.
It is worth noting that it is better not to abuse using the three modifications of the hanger word method described above.If you use such techniques, it is better to choose one of them that seems most convenient to you.Otherwise, you risk getting confused in a large number of created images and resulting chains of associations.0003
If you need to remember some numbers for a long time, then for this you can use the following mnemonics:
Association with other familiar numbers.
Dale Carnegie's advice is to memorize dates by associating them with significant dates you know. For example, it is easy to remember that the Battle of Kulikovo took place exactly 600 years before the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow.
Shedd system (Shedd system). Small numbers, such as historical dates or short telephone numbers, can be learned by composing a special phrase, each word in which is in a strictly defined order and has a number of letters corresponding to the remembered digit. For example, if you want to remember the number 467, then you need to come up with a phrase in which the first word will consist of 4 letters, the second - of 6, and the third word - of 7 letters. So, the number 467 corresponds to the phrase "an elephant runs at a gallop" (4, 6 and 7 letters, respectively). Zero in this system often corresponds to a word of 10 or any more letters.
Rhymes. It is often convenient to memorize a large number of numbers by creating rhymes or poems.
This method is suitable if you need to remember certain numbers for a long time, having the opportunity to spend some time on this. So you can easily remember which characters come after the decimal point in the number "Pi".
Remembering names and faces
Very often we need to remember people we have just met. We all tend to be nice to those who remember our name. In order to quickly and accurately remember the names and faces of people, there are the following mnemonics.
Association with another person well known to you with the same name. For example, many of us will easily remember the name of a person if he is your namesake. It is also easy to remember the names of people who match the names of your parents and good friends. But even if you don't know the name of the person you want to remember, try to remember famous people with the same names: actors, politicians, musicians.
Selection of other modifications of his name.
For example, the name Alexander has several modifications Sasha, San, Shura. Once the person has introduced himself, silently try to name a few modifications of his name.
Name spelling. Think about how a person's name is spelled - imagine it visually. How many letters are in this name? What is the first letter? The answers to these questions will further fix the image of the person's name in your visual perception. If possible, you can even write the person's name on paper to enhance comprehension.
Remembering last names. You can memorize surnames using mnemonic techniques based on visual associations. You need to start with the search for a mental replacement or modification of the surname. For example, my surname Buyanov can be associated with Buyan Island from children's fairy tales, as well as with a violent temperament. Then some noticeable feature of a person is selected, for example, a facial feature or a character trait (which is more suitable for the surname Buyanov), which must be tied to the selected surname association.
Try these methods in practice and take a training on memorizing faces and names using mnemonics:
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Memorizing foreign languages
Language mnemonics will be useful for memorizing words, expressions, grammar rules, verb forms etc.
Method of phonetic associations (MPA). This method is due to the fact that in all languages of the world there are words or parts of words that sound the same but have different meanings. Moreover, in different languages there are words that have a common origin. For example, the word look (look) can be remembered by associating it with the similar-sounding Russian word "bow". And slicing the “onion”, we cannot “look” at it, as our eyes water.
Method of Interaction of All Senses (IMVO). This mnemonic approach is useful for those who want to learn how to communicate fluently in a foreign language.
If the words don't automatically pop into your memory, you won't be able to speak the language fluently. Therefore, the main thing is not to memorize a foreign word as a translation of a native word, but to immediately associate a foreign word directly with the concept corresponding to it. To learn the word "cup" imagine a cup with a handle, and keeping the image in your mind, say "cup" several times, trying not to remember the word "cup".
Try to put these methods into practice and take a training in memorizing foreign words using mnemonics:
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Training in the use of mnemonics
You can train to use all these mnemonics on 4brain using special games, exercises and simulators :
- Mnemonics Online Program
- TOP SECRET game for memorizing people
- N-back game
- Memory Matrix Game
- And many more
Test Your Knowledge
If you would like to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions.
Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.
CTTSISTISTICS for the entire screen
Evgeny Buyanovdmitri Geraskin
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TOP 25 adult techniques
Mnemote technology techniques are an algorithm for memorizing one or any other information. There are a lot of techniques that help to retain almost immense amounts of information in the head. We will present only the most popular and effective methods of mnemonics, proven in practice.
Contents
1. What are mnemonics techniques?
2. Fluent reading is the basis for quickly obtaining information
3.
Basic techniques of mnemonics
4. Mnemonics for children
5. Techniques of mnemonics in Russian language lessons
6. Techniques of mnemonics for schoolchildren
7. How is mnemonics used in English classes?
8. Mnemonics in psychology
9. Frequently asked questions about mnemonics techniques
What are mnemonics techniques?
Mnemonics is a useful skill that allows you to memorize various information in the shortest possible time with the ability to accurately reproduce it over time. It can be used both for fixing data in short-term memory, for example, before making a presentation, and for long-term memorization, for example, when learning languages. Mnemonics greatly simplifies the learning process, and also makes it more interesting than classical memorization. Mnemonics techniques are useful not only for memorizing information at school or university, but also useful in everyday life: remembering shopping lists, phone numbers. The use of mnemonics develops the brain, increases intellectual abilities. It can be used at any age, even in preschoolers.
Fluent reading is the basis for getting information quickly
Oh, stop, stop. Before you start reading about the basic techniques of mnemonics (or immediately after them, but be sure) check your reading speed. Without exaggeration, we can say that this is the cornerstone at the beginning of any training in speed reading techniques. You can do it here: http://bukva.info/rapid/. The tool is fast and simple: read the text, answer the questions, get a certificate with a real reading speed, share it with your friends.
If you want to immerse yourself in this topic a little more intensively, you can read our blog, study workbooks for self-development of the basics of speed reading in adults and children, or learn more about booknot - a notebook for conscious reading.
Basic techniques of mnemonics
Numbers through letters
Remembering phone numbers, digital passwords and other combinations of numbers is always a big problem.
However, there is a technique in which a certain consonant letter is assigned to each digit.
Memorization occurs as follows:
Hangers
The essence of the technique is that each figure is assigned a certain number of images. It is advisable to make 3-4 hangers and learn them well. Then any combination of numbers will be presented as a story, and it will not be difficult to remember it.
Numbers through images
Here, each number is also assigned an object, but it should resemble a figure in shape. For example, for 0, you can use a bagel or a ball. Combinations are memorized by the method of compiling stories, as in the previous method. The advantage of remembering numbers through images associated with the form is that the association is easier to perceive by the brain.
Shed system
Small combinations are memorized by making stories in which each word will equal a number by the number of letters. The mnemonic system is inconvenient because it can take a long time to mentally count the letters in a word, so the technique is used only to memorize combinations of small numbers.
Names
Many people find it difficult to remember the names of strangers. There are two main methods of mnemonics:
Association with a famous person. As a rule, remembering a famous person with the same name as a new acquaintance is not difficult. To consolidate the result, you can find a common feature between them and create a more logical association.
Selection of modifications. To remember the name of a person, you can think of many variations of his name and mentally call a new acquaintance each of them. After that, it will be difficult to forget how to address it.
Phonetic associations
The technique is suitable for learning foreign languages.
It is based on the fact that in every language there are words that are phonetically consonant, but distinct in meaning. Memorizing new vocabulary, you can create a number of associations, thanks to which the word will gradually become perceived as native.
Interaction of sensations
This technique also helps to learn a foreign language. It is quite effective and in the age of the Internet it is quite easy to use. You don't have to associate new words or come up with codes. It's just that each new word should be directed to the right object. Memorizing the word "window" - look at it. Memorizing the word "behemoth" - drive it into a search engine and look at the photos of the animal.
Memorizing faces
In order to remember, and most importantly, to recognize a person at a new meeting after a recent acquaintance, one should show maximum interest in him in the process of communication. Appearance helps to remember finding a distinctive feature, unfortunately, most often it is negative.
For example, a large nose or deep-set eyes.
Rhymes
Such methods are widely used even in higher educational institutions. With the help of rhymed poems, you can memorize huge blocks of information that are difficult to perceive. The most famous object that is remembered through rhymes is the number Pi.
Symbolization
This technique has been used in our lives constantly, since childhood. Any word or concept has a pair similar in meaning or sound. Using these pairs or even chains, you can compose huge layers of information.
Mnemonics for children
You can start teaching a child as early as 3-4 years old, using specially designed mnemonics techniques. For children, the following exercises are used, which must be completed in sequence:
Mnemonic squares. Using pictures with a simple image that a child can understand. A picture can mean one object (concept) or several.
With the help of pictures, you can replenish the vocabulary of the child, teach him some simple actions of everyday life.
Mnemonic tracks. Several pictures that represent the correct sequence of an action or event. For example, the change of seasons, the process from waking up to leaving the house (making the bed, washing, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, getting dressed) and so on.
Mnemo tables. They are several pictures put together: from 4 to 9, which encrypt poems for children, fairy tales, teaching stories and more.
Remember that the images on the cards should be bright, large, simple and understandable for the child. You need to take into account age, vocabulary. If a child does not understand some concept in the picture, it is not recommended to use it for mnemonics.
Methods of mnemonics at Russian language lessons
Many different mnemonics techniques are used in Russian language lessons. Almost all known techniques are based on the formation of interesting poems or catchy phrases.
For example, "-something, -or, -something - do not forget to put a hyphen" - a well-known phrase for remembering the rule. Such already formed techniques can be found on the Internet using the following information:
For any rule, block of words or exceptions, you can create your own mnemonic cheat sheet. Over time, the information will fit in your head and will pop up automatically.
Methods of mnemonics for schoolchildren
Mnemonics is indispensable for a student, as it helps to memorize a variety of information.
Examples of mnemonics techniques that are often used by schoolchildren:
Learning languages. Memorizing various rules with the help of associative series and creating interesting stories with exception words. The use of phonetic similarity of words in different languages and more.
Date memory Instead of memorizing dates for different historical events, you can use an alphanumeric code and come up with an interesting, non-standard sentence for each date that will stick in your memory.
Memorization of definitions and theoretical information. Key words can be encrypted into associative, semantic links. The Roman room method is good for memorizing large blocks of information.
Memorization of formulas. You can use almost any technique you like. The main thing is to form unusual figurative ligaments that are securely fixed in memory.
In addition, on the Internet you can find a lot of ready-made memos for almost every school subject. For example, the most famous theorem in geometry: "Pythagorean pants are equal on all sides.
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Mnemonics in English lessons
Mnemonics in learning English are used to a greater extent for memorizing various words. There are already developed semantic series that make it easier to memorize, for example, irregular or phrasal verbs. Such memoirs are offered by teachers at English lessons, printed in textbooks.
However, the techniques of mnemonics can be used independently to learn new vocabulary by developing your own links and figurative associations. Common examples:
Using reference images in an imaginary room to memorize English words.
Application of the phonetic similarity technique. It is necessary not only to remember a word similar in pronunciation, but also to create a working semantic connection.
Create stories from unrelated words using their meanings.
Representation of a vivid image of a memorized word without looping in Russian translation.
Mnemonics in psychology
Psychologists are constantly trying to study the principles of how memory works, conducting various experiments and research.
The techniques of mnemonics were developed on the basis of the results of such an active study of memorization. As part of the official human psychology, mnemonics continues to improve and improve. Clinical studies prove its effectiveness. The technique is based on proven memorization properties, which is why it is becoming more and more popular in the modern world.
📖 Frequently asked questions about mnemonics techniques
📕 Only adults can master mnemonics techniques?
One of the biggest misconceptions about mnemonics is that they are designed for adults. This is not true. Since, in fact, mnemonics is associated thinking, which is also inherent in children, then mnemonics in childhood is handled no worse than in adults.
📗 Where can I read more about mnemonics?
We have a separate section dedicated to memory on our Read Fast website.
