A
mnemonic
A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding.
Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...
link system, sometimes also known as a chain method, is a method of remembering lists that is based on creating an
association
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
between the elements of that list. For example, when memorizing the list (dog, envelope, thirteen, yarn, window), one could create a story about a "dog stuck in an envelope, mailed to an unlucky thirteen black cat playing with yarn by the window". It is argued that the story would be easier to remember than the list itself.
Another method is to actually link each element of the list with a
mental picture of an image that includes two elements in the list that are next to each other. This would form an open
doubly linked list
In computer science, a doubly linked list is a linked data structure that consists of a set of sequentially linked records called nodes. Each node contains three fields: two link fields (references to the previous and to the next node in the s ...
which could be traversed at will, backwards or forwards. For example, in the last list one could imagine their dog inside of a giant envelope, then a black cat eating an envelope. The same logic would be used with the rest of the items. The observation that absurd images are easier to remember is known as the
Von Restorff effect The Von Restorff effect, also known as the "isolation effect", predicts that when multiple homogeneous stimuli are presented, the stimulus that differs from the rest is more likely to be remembered. The theory was coined by German psychiatrist and p ...
, although the success of this effect was refuted by several studies (Hock et al. 1978; Einstein 1987), which found that the established connection between the two words is more important than the image's
absurdity.
In order to access a certain element of the list, one needs to recite the list step by step, much in the same vein as a
linked list, in order to get the element from the system.
There are three limitations to the link system. The first is that there is no numerical order imposed when memorizing, hence the practitioner cannot immediately determine the numerical position of an item; this can be solved by bundling numerical markers at set points in the chain or using the
peg system instead. The second is that if any of the items is forgotten, the entire list may be in jeopardy. The third is the potential for confusing repeated segments of the list, a common problem when memorizing
binary digit
Binary may refer to:
Science and technology Mathematics
* Binary number, a representation of numbers using only two digits (0 and 1)
* Binary function, a function that takes two arguments
* Binary operation, a mathematical operation that ta ...
s. This limitation can be resolved either through bundling or by using either the peg system or the
method of loci
The method of loci is a strategy for memory enhancement, which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information. The method of loci is also known as the memory journey, memory palace, journey m ...
.
[Bremer, Rod. The Manual - A guide to the Ultimate Study Method (USM) (Amazon Digital Services).]
See also
*
Memory sport
Memory sport, sometimes referred to as competitive memory or the mind sport of memory, refers to competitions in which participants attempt to memorize then recall different forms of information, under certain guidelines. The sport has been formal ...
*
Art of Memory
The art of memory (Latin: ''ars memoriae'') is any of a number of loosely associated mnemonic principles and techniques used to organize memory impressions, improve recall, and assist in the combination and 'invention' of ideas. An alternative ...
*
Method of loci
The method of loci is a strategy for memory enhancement, which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information. The method of loci is also known as the memory journey, memory palace, journey m ...
*
Goroawase System
*
Major system
The major system (also called the phonetic number system, phonetic mnemonic system, or Herigone's mnemonic system) is a mnemonic technique used to aid in memorizing numbers.
The system works by converting numbers into consonants, then into words ...
*
Dominic system
The Dominic system is a mnemonic system used to remember sequences of digits similar to the mnemonic major system. It was invented and used in competition by eight-time World Memory Champion Dominic O'Brien.
Differences from the major system
The ...
Notes
{{Reflist
References
* Bremer, Rod. The Manual - A guide to the Ultimate Study Method (USM) (Amazon Digital Services)
* Einstein, G. and McDaniel, M. (1987). Distinctiveness and the Mnemonic Benefits of Bizarre Imagery in ''Imagery and Related Mnemonic Processes: Theories, Individual Differences, and Applications'', ed McDaniel, M.A. and Pressley, M. (New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987). 79-102.
* Hock, H.S., Romanski, L., Galie, A., Williams, C.S. (1978). Real-World Schemata and Scene Recognition in Adults and Children. ''Memory and Cognition'', 6, 423–31.
* Kozarenko, Vladimir ''Giordano Memorization System'' 2005
* Ziganov, M. A. and Kozarenko, Vladimir ''Mnemonics - All Secrets of Super Memory'' 2000
* Ziganov, M. A. and Kozarenko, Vladimir ''Foreign Language Memorization Technique'' 2001
External links
University of Amsterdam - Human memoryCollection of Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonics