Chapter #3 - Memory

Your brain never looses anything

Forgetting is the inability to recall stored information or the failure to store information in the first place

Some have been able to recall events that took place shortly after their birth

[Duel Encoding]- Encoding something twice (or more) so that you have increased your chance of recalling it when you need it.

Short-term memory appears to have a limited capacity and disappears fast! [BITS]- Storing information in groups so that you don't have as much to remember (telephone number can be reduced from 10 numbers to 3 numbers separated by hyphens).

Long-term memory allows us to recall information from day to day, week to week, and year to year

The more often you recall information and the more often you put the same information into your memory, the easier it is to find

It is easier to retrieve thoughts that are grouped together

Pieces of information are easier to recall if you can associate them with similar information

Review information soon to move it to long-term memory

When you want to remind yourself to do something, link that activity to another event that you will remember

You can even use imaginary cues

Link two activities together, and make the association unusual

20 memory techniques:
...divided into four categories:

Organize it

1. Learn from the general to the specific.
Before you begin, skim for the general idea.
If you're lost, step back and look at the big picture.

2. Make it meaningful.
A skydiver will not become bored learning how to pack her parachute.
Know what you want from your education then look for connections between what you want and what you are studying.
When information helps you get something you want, it's easier to remember

3. Create associations.
When you introduce new data, you can recall it more effectively if you store it near similar or related data.

4. Learn it once, actively.
According to an old saying, "people remember 90% of what they do, 75% of what they see, & 20% of what they hear.
Action is a great memory enhancer.
Experiment with standing up when you study.
Get your whole body involved.
Boredom puts memory to sleep. Wake it up by using your arms and legs as well as your eyes, ears, and voice.

5. Relax.
When we're relaxed, we absorb new information quicker and recall it with greater accuracy (students who can't recall information during a final exam, often can recite the same facts later)

6. Create pictures.
Use diagrams or cartoons to connect facts and illustrate relationships.
Visual information is associated with a different part of the brain than verbal information.
When you create a picture, you are anchoring the information in two parts of your brain.

7. Recite and repeat.
When you repeat something out loud, you anchor the concept in two different senses.
The result is SYNERGISTIC- using two different senses is greater than the sum of their individual effects.
Reciting silently is not as effective as making noise.
Your mind can trick itself into thinking it knows something when it doesn't. Your ears are harder to fool.
Recitation works best when you recite concepts in your own words (forces you to think about it).

8. Write it down.
Writing helps you remember, even if you never look at the note again. You can write things down many times to improve retention.
Writing engages a different kind of memory than speaking (prompts us to be more logical and complete).
Written reviews more closely match the way we're asked to remember materials in school.
Writing is physical and you remember what you "do".

Use your brain...

9. Reduce interference.
Find a quiet place that is free from distraction.

10.Overlearn.
Learn "more" than you intended.
Go over it until it becomes second nature.
Do assignments then do more assignments.
Potential rewards are speed, accuracy, and greater confidence at exam time.

11.Escape the short-term memory trap.
Short-term memory is different from the kind of memory you'll need during exam week.
Short-term memory can fade after a few minutes and rarely lasts more than several hours.
A short review can move material from short-term memory into long-term memory

12.Use daylight.
Study your most difficult subjects during daylight hours.

13.Distribute learning.
Research suggests that marathon study sessions are not effective.
You can get more done if you take regular breaks and you can even use them as mini- rewards.

14.Be aware of attitudes.
People who think history is boring or hard tend to have difficulty remembering history.
All of us can forget information that contradicts our opinions.
Your awareness can deflate an attitude that is blocking your memory.
Relate it to something you are interested in.
We remember what we find interesting

15.Choose what not to store in memory.
We can choose not to retain certain kinds of information.
Decide what's essential to remember

16.Combine memory techniques.
Memory techniques work even better in combination.
Choose two or three techniques and experiment for yourself.

Recall it.

17.Remember something else
When you can't remember something you know you know, remember something else that is related to it.
Information is stored in the same area of the brain as similar information.
A brainstorm is a good memory jog.

18.Notice when you do remember.
Everyone has a different memory style.
Notice when you recall information easily and ask yourself what memory techniques you're using naturally

19.Use it before you lose it.
Even information stored in long-term memory becomes difficult to recall if we don't use it regularly.
To remember something, access it a lot (read it, write it, speak it, listen to it, apply it).
Another way to contact the material is to teach it (Teaching demands mastery).
Study groups are especially effective because they put you on stage.

20.And remember, you never forget.
Adopt an attitude: "I never forget anything. I may have difficulty recalling something from my memory, but I never really forget it.
"All I have to do is find where I stored it".

Remembering Names

Mnemonic Devices

Four general categories:

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