Digest #172: Mnemonic Devices
By Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel
Our memory capabilities are fascinating and with some tricks we can expand our memory performance quite significantly. These tricks are called mnemonic devices. Mnemonic devices let us organize, elaborate, and visualize information so that we can retrieve that information easier in the future. Mnemonic devices are best applied to learning lists of concepts or definitions and less so to study complex material. Nevertheless, it can be fun to try them out and to add them to the study portfolio. Here are some resources about different mnemonic devices and how they can be helpful in some situations. Enjoy!
1. Mnemonic, Britannica
This resource gives an overview of the history behind mnemonic devices. How they developed and how they are used today.
2. How to Use Mnemonic Devices to Improve Your Memory, verywellmind
On this page different mnemonic devices are described in more depth and how they can be applied. Some of them may be familiar, but there may be some new ones in there that could be useful.
3. How to Memorize & Remember - Study Tips - Mnemonic Devices, Socratica
This is a 6-min video introducing different mnemonic devices using concrete examples. I would say that the first example used to remember the order of the US presidents using the method of loci could be improved by making the mapping of the names of the presidents to the objects more obvious. Right now, the strategy would require that students know the names, but need a memory aid to remember the order. If they need help to remember the names too, then the mnemonic device should specifically tie the names to the objects when using the method of loci. For example, saying “John Tyler is in the bed which makes sense because Tyler is tired.” When you watch the video, you will know what I mean.
4. Mnemonics in Education: Current Research and Applications, Putnam (2015)
This is a review paper exploring how useful mnemonic devices are in the educational setting. Different papers are reviewed in a very accessible way answering essential questions on mnemonic devices in education.
5. Assessing Effectiveness of Mnemonics for Tertiary Students in a Hybrid Introductory Statistics Course, Mocko et al. (2017)
This is another research paper. It looks specifically at the perception and experiences of students using mnemonic devices when studying. It also explores their self-reported test anxiety and how the use of mnemonic devices is related to this.
(cover image by Pixabay on Pexels)
From time to time, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Occasionally we publish a guest digest, and If you'd like to propose a guest digest click here. Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:
Digest #167: Should we give up on growth mindset?
Digest #168: Introduction to ChatGPT
Digest #169: Announcing Our New “Ace That Test” Book!! And Other Books We Enjoy
Digest #170: Fun Activities to Reduce Forgetting (and Boredom) over the School Break
