A
mnemonic
A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember.
It makes use of e ...
link system, sometimes also known as a chain method, is a method of remembering lists that is based on creating an
association 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 se ...
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 ...
, 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
Absurdity is the state or condition of being unreasonable, meaningless, or so unsound as to be irrational. "Absurd" is the adjective used to describe absurdity, e.g., "Tyler and the boys laughed at the absurd situation." It derives from the Lat ...
.
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 computer science, a linked list is a linear collection of data elements whose order is not given by their physical placement in memory. Instead, each element points to the next. It is a data structure consisting of a collection of nodes whi ...
, 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 values (0 and 1) for each digit
* Binary function, a function that takes two arguments
* Binary operation, a mathematical o ...
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 ...
.
[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 () 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 term is "Ars Memorativa ...
*
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 ...
*
Goroawase System
*
Major system
*
Dominic system
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
Psychology lists