Every day we are faced with huge flows of various information: text, graphic, digital, audio or video. What if there is a need to save this information, but you don’t have a pen or notebook at hand?
Answering this question, some of you will remember that there are special methods that make memorization quick and effective. What are these magical tools and how to use them? Let's look at it below.
Mnemonics and mnemonics. What's happened? Who is it suitable for?
The art of memorization is mnemonics. Mnemonics is a set of techniques, techniques and methods for more effective and rapid assimilation of information.
Everyone, after the first acquaintance with the basic principles of mnemonics, will be able to easily apply the acquired knowledge in practice and get an excellent result.
Right now we propose to conduct an interesting experiment. Your task is to remember a list of 15 unfamiliar words by reading it just once:
- saucer
- carpet
- brush
- brick
- ring
- barrel
- rocket
- bear
- confetti
- spear
- pillow
Now try to remember all the words and record the result on a piece of paper. We will return to this list later.
But first, let’s look at what the essence of mnemonic technology is, and also review the most common techniques for memorizing information.
The secret to using mnemonics effectively
The essence of mnemonics is that we transform the information necessary for memorization into visual images, that is, we present it in the form of pictures in our imagination, and then store it in memory in a convenient way.
The fact is that we remember visual information very well. This is the native language of our consciousness. An excellent example of this is how a small child who does not yet know how to speak, write, or read remembers.
At the same time, using mnemonic techniques, it is important to create images:
- Bright. The richer the better.
- Large ones. No matter what exactly you are thinking about. Even if it is a small object in real life, in the imagination it should be large.
- Colored. It is better to present the images as they are in real life, that is, natural in color.
- Volumetric. Not flat, but like 3D pictures.
- Detailed. You can imagine it in not entirely detailed form; it is enough to see the object in outline.
For example:
- For number 2 (two) - the image of a SWAN, since they are visually similar to each other;
- 0 (zero) - SALT, as it is consonant.
- 11 (eleven) – DRUM STICKS
- Anna - BATH
- Chemistry - MENDELEEV
- sadness - UMBRELLA
We imagine images that are easy to imagine in our imagination. After which we move on to the techniques themselves.
Moreover, most of them have been familiar to us since childhood. However, they allow you to remember information only in small quantities. To work with huge amounts of information, there are other methods of mnemonics.
So that you can compare and feel the effectiveness, we will consider both techniques.
Basic techniques of mnemonics
ACROPOEM
This method allows you to encrypt in the initial letters of a word, phrase or a separate line of a poem some information that is not directly related to their content.
For example: Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits
Sound familiar? Right. So, we can remember the colors of the rainbow in order. This happens due to the fact that the first letter of each word matches the first letter of the color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Blue, Purple.
MNEMOPHRASE
By this method we mean phrases or sentences that allow you to remember some rules in the Russian language, geometry or physics, or in various other sciences and fields.
For example:
I can’t bear to get married. This way we remember adverbs that are written without a soft sign.
I put on clothes, I put on Hope. Here we use “to dress” and “to put on.”
A bisector is a rat that runs around the corners and divides them in half.
MEMONICS
This artificially invented verse which makes it easier to remember certain information
You just have to try
And remember everything as it is:
Three, fourteen, fifteen,
Ninety two and six
The method allows you to remember the first 7 decimal places in Pi: 3.1415926..
Now let's move on to ways in which you can remember large amounts of information, people's names, phone numbers.
“HISTORY” METHOD
The goal of this method is to combine visual images into an unusual, funny, cheerful, crazy story. The more interesting and unusual it is, the better you will remember the necessary words.
For example, let's take list of 10 words:
- doll
- kettle
- grass
- sneakers
- crow
- stool
- flower
- feathers
Now imagine how the Doll took the kettle and began pouring water on the grass from it. A sneaker began to grow from the grass, on which a crow sat with cream in its beak. She presses hard on the tube of cream and a stool is squeezed out of it, on which a fat elephant sits. The elephant has a flower clutched in its trunk. And instead of petals, the flower has feathers.
"CHAIN" METHOD
Its essence lies in the fact that here we are no longer inventing a story, but simply connecting images one after another.
Let’s take the same list that was memorized using the “History” method and compare:
The doll is holding a teapot. The kettle is overgrown with grass before our eyes. A sneaker sticks out of the grass. There is a crow sitting inside the sneaker. Instead of a wing, she has a tube of cream. The cream leaks out and drips onto the stool. An elephant is holding onto the leg of a stool. An elephant has a flower instead of a tail. Feathers stick out from the flower.
Thus, by successively connecting one image to another, we have just memorized a list of 10 words.
If you forget one link in the chain, there is a chance that it will not be possible to reproduce the remaining ones.
The following method will help you avoid such an unpleasant situation.
"LOCATIONS" METHOD
In mnemonics, this is the most advanced memorization technique. Its essence lies in the fact that we highlight well-known elements in a room or on a route in a city, and then we attach the necessary visual images to these details.
You can often find other names for this method. For example, “Palace of Memory”, Roman rooms, Cicero, places. All this will be a description of the same memorization technique.
Let's take a look examples of locations:
- Indoors: chest of drawers, wardrobe, sofa, table, chair, computer.
- On the route: trash can, stop, road sign, store.
Now let’s take a room (everyone here can imagine their own room) and select 10 objects in it. Then we will remember our list of 10 words on them.
- We highlight: door, drawer, sink, faucet, multicooker, stove, hood, table, window, radiator.
- Introducing: A doll is sticking out of the door. There is a kettle in the drawer. There is grass growing in the sink. A sneaker sticks halfway out of the tap. A crow opens the slow cooker.
The cream melted on the stove. A stool was sucked into the hood. An elephant sits at the table. A flower grows on the window. The battery is pierced through with feathers.
Important! In order to reliably consolidate information in our consciousness, it is necessary to hold each connection of an image with a location for 5 seconds in the imagination and only then proceed to connect the next ones.
Its only disadvantage is that the most effective use of this mnemonic method is possible when you have ready-made locations in your head, that is, objects are pre-selected.
Video: mnemonics and mnemonics
Application practice
Any skill must be strengthened in practice. Mnemonics is no exception.
So now we will return to our experiment.
Your task, already based on the knowledge you have gained, is to select and try to remember the list of 15 words that was at the very beginning of this article, the method you liked most. For convenience, we duplicate the words:
- saucer
- carpet
- brush
- brick
- ring
- barrel
- rocket
- bear
- confetti
- spear
- pillow
Now record the result and compare it with the original!
Quality of information memorization does not depend on its volume, it is due to two factors:
- attention during the learning process;
- repetition for, in fact, memorization itself.
If you need to remember foreign words or complex terminology, they will help mnemonics. If you need to memorize a large paragraph or a lot of papers for an exam, then systematic repetition will allow you to consolidate the material in your memory for a long time.
Let's take a closer look at these techniques.
Mnemonics
For our brain, any information is neural connections.
The stronger this connection is created, the more firmly the material is “imprinted” in memory. However, remembering a large volume of new, foreign or complex words (terms) can be difficult. Mnemonics are special techniques that allow you to connect new information with existing information, i.e. create a connection between words that will allow you to remember one through the other.
Since these techniques are based on associations, you need to create them yourself, because each person has his own ideas about certain things. For example, a term or foreign word reminds you of some situation from life or is consonant with something familiar. When learning this word, note this connection, even if it is not logical.
Memory Palace or Sherlock's Mind Palace
This memorization method is also based on mnemonics, but here you do not need to come up with your own association for each word. You mentally place all the material that you need to remember in a place familiar to you - this is that very palace.
For example, this could be your home, where you thoroughly remember all the details, or your favorite park, where you often walk and can navigate “with your eyes closed.” When memorizing information, lay out objects (words, terms) or even create a whole scenario of events reflecting the material. To remember everything you have learned, it will be enough for you to mentally walk through your “halls” and the chain of events will restore itself.
Repetition is the mother of learning
Now for the repetition. Having once created your associative series or scenarios, you may eventually miss some details. To prevent this from happening, you need to regularly repeat the material. German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, as part of his study of memory function, conducted an experiment that proves that without repetition, new information is quickly forgotten. In this connection, I created recommendations on how to repeat correctly. Moreover, depending on how long you need to remember the material (for life or just to pass the exam), the mode is different.
- first repetition - immediately after finishing reading;
- second repetition – 20 minutes after the first repetition;
- third repetition – 8 hours after the second;
- fourth repetition – 24 hours after the third.
If you need to remember for a long time:
- First repetition – immediately after finishing reading;
- second repetition – 20-30 minutes after the first repetition;
- third repetition – 1 day after the second;
- fourth repetition - 2-3 weeks after the third;
- fifth repetition – 2-3 months after the fourth repetition.
Memory is one of the highest mental functions of the brain, so if you use this function correctly, you will not experience difficulties in memorizing and recalling information.
Like other brain functions, memory needs to be constantly trained.
Otherwise, you will forget whether you turned off the iron or where you parked the car, not to mention memorizing large paragraphs. And since memory is inextricably linked with attention (remember, this is one of the conditions for successful memorization?), they must be trained comprehensively. We need memory not only when performing daily tasks; all our memories form our picture of the world. Therefore, it is extremely important to increase the volume of working memory, improve the quality and speed of memorization, as well as the ability to find the right information in memory at the right time.
To train our memory, since childhood we were told to learn poetry. This is an effective method, but not the only one. Moreover, it is difficult to force yourself to do this regularly.
Online technologies allow you to train your memory, and attention in a complex and even playful way, without torturing yourself with awkward rhymes. One of these services is Vikium, online simulators for improving brain performance. They are made in a playful way, but have a scientific basis. In addition, the service will build a personal training program and send reminders about daily training. You'll see your progress, your strengths and weaknesses, and you can even compete with other people to benefit your mind.
Otto Ehrenberg
The word “mnemonics” comes from the Greek mnemonika - memory and refers to various techniques that help memorize information. Such exercises were used in Ancient Egypt, India, Greece and Rome and have come down to us in many forms. You probably know certain tricks that you were taught in school for remembering grammar rules or exceptions to them.
For example, you may have been taught the following mnemonic exercise for remembering words in which the letter “s” is written after the letter “ts”: “The gypsy sits on tiptoes and says ‘tsits’ to the chicken.” This simple sentence, which is immediately etched in the memory, contains four words in which the letter “s” is written after the letter “c”. However, mnemonics are generally not popular with teachers because they believe that remembering material should be based on understanding it.
All mnemonic exercises are based on bringing some kind of clarity to meaningless material, that is, chaos is transformed into order through some systematization.
Rhyme and rhythm
One of the most effective ways to ensure that material is retained is to rhyme it. This method, used in some mnemonic exercises, has also found wide application in advertising.
Advertising specialists are well aware of the importance of rhyme for remembering various information. You, no doubt, have noticed that in many advertising videos, information about products is rhymed, and this contributes to faster memorization, and, consequently, faster sale of goods.
Rhyming commercials themselves are etched into our memory, regardless of our desire, and they are often not so easy to get rid of. Therefore, when you come across important, but illogical and difficult to remember information, you should try to rhyme it. We will show how to do this using a simple example with a telephone number.
One is sir.
Two is grass.
Three are heroes.
Four is the door.
Five is a bed.
Six is tough.
Seven is a belt.
Eight is a moose.
Nine is a swan.
Ten - stairs.
So, you can remember either this list or another one you wrote similar to this one. In any case, you must memorize it so that it “bounces off your teeth.” We hope that this task will not be too difficult for you.
Now you need to remember the list of necessary purchases: toilet paper, detergent, canned tuna, mayonnaise, eggs. To do this, associate each item on the shopping list with a list of memory words. This should be done in order of priority, that is, if toilet paper is first on the shopping list, then it should be associated with a gentleman, and you should imagine some gentleman wrapped in toilet paper . Next on the list is detergent and it's associated with grass, so try to imagine grass doused with detergent. Next up is canned tuna. You should associate it with heroes, so you can imagine heroes devouring canned tuna. Then it was the turn of mayonnaise. Its serial number corresponds to the door, and in your imagination a door smeared with mayonnaise should appear. And finally, last on the list are eggs that need to be associated with a bed, which will probably make you associate a bed littered with eggs.
5 = p (initial letter of the number name)
6 = b (letter style is similar to number style)
7 = c (initial letter of the number name)
8 = in (initial letter of the number name)
9 = d (initial letter of the number name)
O = o (the lettering is similar to the number)
Categories Post navigationPatterns of memory (conditions for successful memorization and reproduction) are associated with forms of memory.
Involuntary memorization
The conditions for successful involuntary memorization are:
- strong and significant physical stimuli (the sound of a gunshot, bright spotlight);
- what causes increased orientation activity(cessation or resumption of an action, process, unusualness of the phenomenon, its contrast in relation to the background, etc.);
- stimuli that are most significant for a given individual (for example, professionally significant objects);
- stimuli that have a special emotional connotation;
- what is most related to the needs of a given person;
- something that is the object of active activity.
Thus, the conditions of a problem that we have been solving for a long time are remembered involuntarily and firmly.
Voluntary memorization
But in human activity, more often there is a need to specifically remember something and reproduce it under appropriate conditions. This is voluntary memorization, in which the task is always set to remember, i.e., special mnemonic activity is carried out.
In the process of human development, voluntary memorization is formed relatively late (mainly during the period of schooling). This type of memorization is intensively developed in teaching and.
Conditions for successful voluntary memorization are:
- awareness of the significance and meaning of the memorized material;
- identification of its structure, logical relationship of parts and elements, semantic and spatial grouping of material;
- identifying the plan in verbal and textual material, supporting words in the content of each part, presenting the material in the form of a diagram, table, diagram, drawing, visual image;
- the content and accessibility of the memorized material, its correlation with the experience and orientation of the subject of memorization;
- emotional and aesthetic richness of the material;
- the possibility of using this material in the subject’s professional activities;
- setting the need to reproduce this material under certain conditions;
- material that acts as a means of achieving significant goals, plays a significant role in solving life problems, and acts as an object of active mental activity.
When memorizing material, a rational distribution of it over time and active reproduction of the memorized material are essential.
Mnemonics
If it is impossible to establish semantic connections in heterogeneous material, use artificial methods to facilitate memorization - mnemonics(the art of memorization): the creation of auxiliary artificial associations, the mental placement of memorized material in a well-known space, a familiar pattern, and an easily memorized rhythmic tempo. So, from school, everyone knows the mnemonic technique for memorizing the sequence of colors of the light spectrum: “Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits.”
Voluntary memory is purposefully organized. Research shows that a person can easily hold and reproduce only three or four isolated objects (with their simultaneous perception). The limited scope of simultaneous retention and reproduction of material is due to retroactive and proactive inhibition (inhibition arising, respectively, from subsequent and previous influences).
Edge factor
If the subject is given a series of 10 syllables, then the first and last syllables are remembered more easily, and the middle ones - worse. What explains this fact? The first elements do not experience inhibition from previous impressions, and the last members of the series do not experience inhibition from subsequent elements. The middle members of the series experience inhibition both from the preceding ones (proactive inhibition) and from the subsequent elements (retroactive, inverse inhibition). This pattern of memory (better memorization of extreme elements) is called edge factor.
If the memorized series consists of four elements, then the first, second and fourth are remembered first, the third is worse. Therefore, in the quatrains you should pay attention to the third line - the “Achilles heel” of the structure. It is characteristic that it is in the third lines of quatrains that poets often allow violations of meter in order to attract increased attention to it. This is what, for example, the first quatrain of N. M. Yazykov’s poem “Muse” sounds like:
The goddess of strings survived
Gods and thunder and damask steel.
She didn't let her beautiful hands into chains
Centuries of tyranny and debauchery.
It's hard to remember a list of 18 different items. But listing the purchases of the hero of “Dead Souls” Nozdryov does not turn out to be too difficult to remember. The author himself helps us with this, providing the necessary contrastive organization of the list. “If he [Nozdryov] at the fair was lucky enough to attack a simpleton and beat him, he bought a bunch of everything that had previously caught his eye in the shops: clamps, smoking tar, calico, candles, nanny scarves, a stallion, raisins, a silver washstand, Dutch canvas, fine flour, tobacco, pistols, herrings, paintings, sharpening tools, pots, boots, earthenware - as much as there was enough money.”
When moving from memorizing one complex material to memorizing another, it is necessary to take breaks (at least 15 minutes), which prevent retroactive inhibition.
The assumption that traces do not disappear at all, but are only inhibited under the influence of other influences, is confirmed by the phenomenon of reminiscence (lat. reminiscentia - memory). Often, when reproducing material immediately after perceiving it, the number of elements retained in memory is less than the amount that a person can reproduce after a pause. This is explained by the fact that during the rest period the effect of braking is removed.
To expand the volume of voluntary memory, it is necessary to attach to the memorized material certain structure, group his. It is unlikely, for example, that anyone will be able to quickly remember a series of 16 isolated numbers: 1001110101110011. If we group this series in the form of two-digit numbers: 10 01 11 01 01 11 00 11, then they are easier to remember. In the form of four-digit numbers, this series is remembered even easier, since it no longer consists of 16 elements, but of four enlarged groups: 1001 1101 0111 0011. Combining elements into groups reduces the number of those elements that experience proactive and retroactive inhibition, allowing you to compare these elements, that is, to include intellectual activity in the memorization process.
Rice. 1. Techniques for organizing a voluntary mnemonic action
The productivity of semantic memory is 25 times higher than mechanical memory. Establishing connections, structure, principle, and patterns of constructing an object is the main condition for its successful memorization. It is difficult to mechanically remember the numbers 248163264128256, but it is very easy to remember these same numbers if you establish a certain pattern in a number of numbers (doubling each subsequent digit). The number 123-456-789 is easy to remember by finding the principle of its construction (Fig. 1).
Voluntary memorization of figurative material is also facilitated by identifying the principle of its organization (Fig. 2).
In experimental studies, it is found that subjects “remember” more information than what was presented to them for memorization. If, for example, the sentence “Ivanov chopped sugar” is given for memorization, then when reproducing it, subjects often reconstruct this material as follows: “Ivanov chopped sugar with tongs.” This phenomenon is explained by the involuntary connection to memorization of an individual’s judgments and conclusions.
So, memory is not a repository of static information. It is organized by systematizing processes of perception and thinking.
Rice. 2. Remember and reproduce this series of figures in the same sequence (the task can be completed only after establishing the principle of arrangement of the figures)
At playback material, those objects that structurally organized the field of perception and regulated the activity of the subject of memorization should be used as support.
A special type of reproduction is memories. Memory- the individual’s attribution of figurative ideas to a specific place and moment in his life. Localization of memories is facilitated by the reproduction of complete behavioral events and their sequence.
Reproduction associated with overcoming difficulties is called recollection. Overcoming difficulties in remembering is facilitated by the establishment of various associations.
Reproducible images of objects or phenomena are called representations. They are divided into types corresponding to the types of perceptions (visual, auditory, etc.).
The peculiarity of the representations is their generality And fragmentation. Representations do not convey with equal brightness all the features and characteristics of objects. If certain ideas are connected with our activity, then in them those aspects of the object that are most significant for this activity are brought to the fore.
Representations are generalized images of reality. They preserve the constant attributes of things and discard the random ones. Ideas are a higher level of cognition than sensation and perception. They are a transitional step from sensations to thoughts. But ideas are always paler, less complete than perceptions. When imagining an image of a well-known object, for example, the facade of your house, you may find that this image is fragmentary and somewhat reconstructed.
The past is restored with the participation of thinking - generally and indirectly. Consciousness of reproduction inevitably leads to a categorical, conceptual embrace of the past. And only specially organized control activities - comparison, critical assessment - bring the reconstructed picture closer to the real events.
The material of reproduction is a product not only of memory, but also of the entire mental uniqueness of a given person.
The material is remembered in the context of human activity. First of all, what is stored in memory is what was most relevant and significant in human activity, how this activity began and ended, what obstacles arose on the way to its implementation. At the same time, some people remember better the facilitating factors, while others remember the hindering factors of activity.
In interpersonal interactions, what affects the most significant personal characteristics of an individual is more firmly remembered.
There are also personal tendencies towards the reconstruction of material stored in memory. A person remembers events in the form in which he comprehends them in the process of perception. Already the elementary act of synthesis of perception and memory—recognition—is distinguished by a number of individual characteristics. Poor memory for faces can be combined with good memory for other objects.
The accuracy and completeness of reproduction depend on the suggestibility and conformity of the individual, his tendency to fantasize. Significant deformations of cognitive processes occur in emotionally stressful states.
So, memory is not a warehouse of finished products. Her material is subject to personal reconstruction. Personal reconstruction of the reproduced material can manifest itself in distortion of the semantic content of the source material, illusory detailing of the reproduced event, combination of disparate elements, separation of related elements, replacement of content with other similar content, spatial and temporal mixing of events or their fragments, exaggeration, emphasis on personally significant aspects of the event, confusion functionally similar objects.
A person’s memory stores not only the factual side of events, but also their corresponding interpretation. Meaningful memorization is characterized by the inclusion of material in the semantic (categorical-conceptual) field of the individual. Reproduction, restoration of past influences is not a “result” of these influences. The degree of discrepancy between ideas and real events varies from person to person. It depends on the type of higher nervous activity of the individual, the structure of individual consciousness, value systems, motives and goals of activity.
It functions intensively even beyond the threshold of consciousness. Currently, it is simulated using electronic computers. However, these machines provide only information storage, while human memory is a constantly self-organizing process, a mental mechanism that integrates the results of all mental processes, a mechanism for storing directly perceived and logically processed information.
Some people may have complete, vivid ideas after a single and involuntary perception of an object. Such representations are called eidetic(from Greek eidos - image). Sometimes there is an involuntary, obsessive, cyclical emergence of images - perseveration(Latin perseveratio - perseverance).
Memory is based on those mental processes that occur during the initial meeting with the memorized material. Accordingly, during reproduction, the main role is played by updating the material according to the functional connections of its elements, their semantic context, and the structural relationship of its parts. And for this, the material in the process of imprinting must be clearly analyzed (divided into structural and semantic units) and synthesized (conceptually united). The reserves of human memory are inexhaustible.
According to the calculations of the famous cybernetician J. Neumann, the human brain can accommodate the entire amount of information stored in the largest libraries in the world. Alexander the Great knew by sight and name all the soldiers of his army of thousands. A. A. Alekhine could play from memory (blind) with 40 partners at the same time.
A certain E. Gaon knew by heart all 2.5 thousand books he had read during his life, and could reproduce any passage from them. There are numerous cases of outstanding figurative memory of people of the artistic type. W. A. Mozart could record a large piece of music after listening to it only once. Composers L.K. Glazunov and S.V. Rachmaninov were distinguished by the same musical memory. The artist N. N. Ge could accurately depict from memory what he had seen only once.
A person involuntarily remembers everything that attracts his attention: the captivating colors of spring evenings, the graceful outlines of ancient cathedrals, the joyful faces of people close to him, the smells of the sea and pine forest. All these numerous images constitute the figurative and intellectual fund of his psyche.
Every person has the opportunity to significantly expand their memory capacity. At the same time, it is necessary to discipline the intellect - to highlight the essential from the background of the secondary, to actively reproduce the necessary material, and to widely use mnemonic techniques. The habit of remembering what you need is reinforced, like any other skill. School folklore about “Pythagorean pants” and “every hunter who wants to know where the pheasant sits” testifies to the ineradicable desire of our mind to find a pattern, an association, even where it is impossible to establish logical connections.
Each person has characteristics of his memory: some people have a strong verbal-logical memory, others have a strong figurative memory; Some people remember quickly, while others need more careful processing of the memorized material. But in all cases it is necessary to avoid what causes proactive and retroactive inhibition. And at the first difficulties of reproduction, the phenomenon of reminiscence should be used.
LLC Training Center
"PROFESSIONAL"
Abstract on the discipline:
« Psychology»
On topic:
"Basic methods for successful memorization »
Executor:
Ryabova Tatyana Nikolaevna
Moscow 2018
Introduction
The 21st century is called the century of the “information tsunami”. Today, a modern person receives as much information in a month as a person from the 17th century receives in his entire life. It is not surprising that people cannot cope with the barrage of information that bombards them every new day. Now they need a solution to this problem. Therefore, the development of memory, improvement of the processes of memorization, preservation and reproduction of information is one of the most pressing tasks in modern society.
The human brain, like a super-powerful computer, is capable of processing and storing an amazing amount of information. A person could remember absolutely everything that his organs of perception recognized at least once, if not for forgetting, which is a protective unloading mechanism. It is this property of memory that often prevents us from reproducing previously received information at the right time. But by understanding what memory is and how it works, you can significantly improve its performance and master methods of quick memorization.
In this work, we will look at what memory and memorization are, find out the conditions for successful memorization, and highlight the most successful methods of memorizing information.
So, the purpose of this essay is to consider the main methods of memorization and highlight the most successful ones, which can greatly facilitate working with information and help you remember it for a long time.
1. Memory and remembering
The human brain, like a super-powerful computer, is capable of processing and storing an amazing amount of information. A person could remember absolutely everything that his organs of perception recognized at least once, if there were no “buts”. And this “but” is the process of losing access to acquired knowledge. In other words - forgetting.
Forgetting is a protective unloading mechanism. But it is precisely this property of memory that often prevents us from reproducing previously received information at the right time. But by understanding what memory is and how it works, you can significantly improve its performance and master the technique of quick memorization.
Memory is the ability to retain and reproduce previously acquired information. The connections between the nerve cells of the brain - neurons - are responsible for this process. The quantity and quality of these connections is directly proportional to the amount of accumulated knowledge and the amount of life experience of the individual.
Remembering - the process of activating connections from memory that were created earlier.
Memorization - creating connections between elements of perceived information. At the physiological level, perceived information causes irritation of a group of neurons. Under the influence of such information impulses, neural connections are formed. Each repetition of the same material will activate the corresponding group of neurons, and the connections between them will become stronger each time. Accordingly, the memory itself at the level of consciousness will become more stable and long-lasting.
According to the degree of activity of this process, it is customary to distinguish
two types of memorization: unintentional (or involuntary) and intentional (or voluntary).
Unintentional remembering - this is memorization without a predetermined goal, without the use of any techniques and the manifestation of volitional efforts. This is a simple imprint of what affected us and retained some trace of excitation in the cerebral cortex. What is remembered best is what is of vital importance to a person: everything that is connected with his interests and needs, with the goals and objectives of his activities.
The conditions for successful involuntary memorization are:
strong and significant physical stimuli (the sound of a gunshot, bright spotlight);
what causes increased orientation activity (cessation or resumption of an action, process, unusualness of the phenomenon, its contrast in relation to the background, etc.);
stimuli that are most significant for a given individual (for example, professionally significant objects);
stimuli that have a special emotional connotation;
what is most related to the needs of a given person;
something that is the object of active activity.
Unlike involuntary memorizationarbitrary (or intentional) memorization characterized by the fact that a person sets a specific goal - to remember some information - and uses special memorization techniques. Voluntary memorization is a special and complex mental activity subordinate to the task of remembering. In addition, voluntary memorization includes a variety of actions performed in order to better achieve a goal. Such actions include memorization, the essence of which is repeated repetition of educational material until it is completely and error-freely memorized.
The main feature of intentional memorization is the manifestation of volitional efforts in the form of setting a memorization task. Repeated repetition allows you to reliably and firmly remember material that is many times greater than the capacity of individual short-term memory.
What is remembered, as well as realized, is, first of all, what constitutes the goal
actions. However, what is not related to the goal of the action is remembered worse during voluntary memorization aimed specifically at this material. However, it is still necessary to take into account that the vast majority of our systematic knowledge arises as a result of special activities, the purpose of which is to remember the relevant material in order to retain it in memory. Such activity aimed at remembering and reproducing retained material is called mnemonic activity.
Conditions for successful voluntary memorization are:
awareness of the significance and meaning of the memorized material;
identification of its structure, logical relationship of parts and elements, semantic and spatial grouping of material;
identifying the plan in verbal and textual material, supporting words in the content of each part, presenting the material in the form of a diagram, table, diagram, drawing, visual image;
emotional and aesthetic richness of the material;
the possibility of using this material in the subject’s professional activities;
setting the need to reproduce this material under certain conditions;
material that acts as a means of achieving significant goals, plays a significant role in solving life problems, and acts as an object of active mental activity.
When memorizing material, a rational distribution of it over time and active reproduction of the memorized material are essential.
According to another criterion - according to the nature of the connections (associations) underlying memory - memorization is divided intomechanical Andmeaningful .
Rote - this is memorization without awareness of the logical connection between various parts of the perceived material. The basis of rote memorization is associations by contiguity.
In contrast to thismeaningful memorization based on understanding the internal logical connections between individual parts of the material.
If we compare these methods of memorizing material, we can come to the conclusion that meaningful memorization is much more productive. With mechanical memorization, only 40% of the material remains in the memory after one hour, and after a few hours - only 20%, and in the case of meaningful memorization, 40% of the material is retained in memory even after 30 days. The productivity of semantic memory is 25 times higher than mechanical memory.
In his research A.A. Smirnov found that actions are remembered better than thoughts, and among actions, in turn, those associated with overcoming obstacles, including these obstacles themselves, are more firmly remembered.
Memory pyramid according to Ch. Bonveloux (see Appendix 1) shows that effective memorization learning material occurs only when the student is involved in active work - mental operations, explanation and pronunciation, resolution of situations and problems.
The German scientist G. Ebbinghaus deduced the laws of memorization back in the last century. Here are some of them:
1. Relatively simple events in life that make a particularly strong impression on a person can be immediately remembered firmly and for a long time.
2. When memorizing a long series, its beginning and end are best reproduced from memory (“edge effect”).
3. What a person is especially interested in is remembered without any difficulty.
2. Memorization methods
Memorization methods - techniques that help remember certain new information.
Currently, many techniques and methods for memorizing information have been developed. Thus, D. Lapp offers the following methods of memorizing and reproducing information:
1. Awareness. You should consciously involve as many senses as possible in the process of remembering information. By keeping the mind's eye on the most significant pieces of information and various clues, better retention results. The golden rule of information processing: select, concentrate and analyze.
2. Association of Images . By resorting to figurative association in many different contexts, the amount of information that can be retrieved from memory can be significantly increased. You can choose a variety of looks to suit your interests and needs.
3. Using the principle of pause in everyday life will give you time to assess the situation and think. A pause reduces the likelihood of hasty actions or statements, forcing you to focus your attention on the desired subject. It also helps counteract distractions and outside interference.
4. Personal comments promote emotional and intellectual involvement in the process of recording information and help leave a vivid trace in memory. When commenting on things necessary to remember, much more is remembered about them.
5. Organizing material into categories . Both during recording and during retrieval, categories should be used that facilitate the retrieval of specific memories. For example, an item can be classified according to several basic characteristics (material, size, color, location, value). If you enter the information to be stored into a specific category, it will later be easier to retrieve the necessary material from memory by referring to the designated category.
6. Relaxation helps suppress anxiety, which interferes with concentration and blocks memory mechanisms. Then information is recorded more accurately and retrieved from memory without effort. If you cannot remember something, you should calm down, take a few deep breaths and exhalations, look around and give yourself time to provoke a memory.
7. Viewing and frequent use of material provide quick recall. When viewing information, you are actively participating in the three basic processes of memory: recording, storage, and retrieval. The information and quotes that are used regularly are remembered much better. The more often information is used, the easier it is to retrieve it from memory.
To better remember the material, it is recommended to repeat it shortly before your normal bedtime. In this case, what is remembered will be better stored in memory, since it will not be mixed with other impressions, which usually overlap each other during the day and thereby interfere with memorization, diverting our attention.
3. Methods for successful memorization
When information is difficult to remember, difficult to organize, when you are limited in time, special techniques for quick memorization come to the rescue. At the coreAny effective memorization lies in:
1 ) Wish.In order to remember information, you need to want to do it: have a clear and conscious intention, set the task to remember.
2) Awareness.Why you will need the memorized information, how and when you will use it.
3) Establishing connections. In order to remember information, you need to make a connection with knowledge or experience you already have. In other words, every new piece of information must be associated with something. If no connection is established, then it will be very difficult to find it in the depths of your memory. The more connections you make between two thoughts or facts, the more likely you are to remember one piece of information using the other.
4) Vivid impressions. If you want memorization to happen faster and traces to be stored as long as possible, you should try to make any information so that it looks like a vivid impression.
5) Good attention. Without attention there is no remembering. 80% of failures in memorization are related to insufficient attention
Therefore, it is necessary, firstly, to develop the skills of concentrating attention, and secondly, not to forget to turn it on in time.
There are effective methods for memorization information that we will talk about.
There are many techniques for developing and strengthening memory, but the most effective, according to most, is consideredmnemonics or mnemonic technique . Mnemonics (translated from Greek as the art of memorization) is a set of techniques and methods that greatly facilitate the memorization of information, and also increase memory capacity with the help of associative connections.
Mnemonics works as follows:
abstract data is taken;
connections are created between them - coding occurs;
memorization, repetition in a convenient form;
decoding, decoding;
reproduction of the necessary data that needed to be remembered.
Mnemonics are used to remember unmemorable information. It is formulated very clearly and completely by O. Ehrenberg in the book “Techniques for Memorizing Information”. Ehrenberg suggests the following techniques to make memorization easier:
1) Rhyme is one of the most effective ways to ensure the memorization of material (see Appendix 1). This method has also found wide application in advertising. Rhyming commercials themselves are etched into our memory, regardless of our desire, and they are often not so easy to get rid of.
2) Abbreviations not only shorten long names, but also help them memorize. The principle of abbreviation is also used to remember material that is not connected by logical principles, and facilitates the process of recalling the necessary information from memory.
3) Encoding information into a simple sentence in which all words begin with the first letters of the words that need to be remembered. For example, to remember the colors of the rainbow, they usually use the phrase: “Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant sits.” Astronomers remember the order of the planets of the solar system using the following phrase: “The Sea Wolf Tormented Young Young, Completely Tiring the Unhappy Teenager.”
4) Method of arranging objects (Method of Socrates and Cicero) - memorizing information using spatial thinking. A method of remembering objects by recording their location. This method can also be used to memorize various items that are associated with a particular place mentioned earlier. The method described above aids memorization because it allows unrelated items to be grouped into meaningful sequences.
5) Use of words that promote memorization.
6) Finding connections between numbers and letters (linking method ) . This method is widely used to memorize numbers. Words have more meaning for us than numbers, and this method just helps to “translate” numbers into words. For example: 2 - l (swan), 4 - h, 6 - b, 7 - k (braid), 8 - c, 9 - d, 0 - o, etc. By substituting other letters for the existing letter values of the numbers, we can easily remember the resulting words: 67 - beech, 90 - house, etc.
7) Use of pictures. The essence of this method is to translate proper names, various names and thoughts into pictures based on their sound or semantic meaning to improve memorization.
8) Using chains (hook method ) . When memorizing any list, you need to connect each item with the next one through emerging associations.
The role of mnemonic devices in improving memory, according to A.N. Leontyev, is that “our direct memorization becomes mediocre.”
There are other methods for successful memorization:
1)
Pictogram method
.
This method is especially good for people of the so-called “visual” type. A pictogram is a pictorial letter, a set of graphic images that a person comes up with himself for the purpose of memorizing and subsequently reproducing any words and expressions.
For example, for the word “holiday” you can draw a flag, fireworks or, say, a glass (whatever). For the word "sport" draw a ball, a runner or something else. A pictogram cannot be right or wrong, it must simply instantly remind you of the word or expression that you expressed with the pictogram.
2) crossword method - a method of semantic associations. The idea of the method: find a word that, firstly, will be suitable in meaning, and secondly, will help you remember the correct spelling (see example Appendix 3).
3) drawing method -This is a method of visually connecting a symbol with a real image or object visible at the moment. This method was first proposed by I.Yu. Matyugin in the book “How to Develop a Good Memory.”
4) label method - hanging stickers and inscriptions.
5) card method (flashcards). A vivid visual image makes it easier and faster to memorize large amounts of information.
6) method of sound associations
7) Simon's memorization method (hooks method). Its essence: there is a list of images connected by rigid ingression with a number series. The images in this series are called hooks. In order to remember a numbered list, the elements of the list are translated into images and associated with hooks.
8) history method
9) method of poses and gestures
10) Aivazovsky method
11) flow method. You need to keep the previous word in your imagination, and then, based on “similarity,” form one object into another.
12) Atkinson method
13) mindmaps - “Mental maps”, “Intelligence maps”, “Memory maps”, “Smart maps” (see Appendix 2). Mind map is a powerful method of information visualization that reveals the intelligence potential of every person. Mind maps are used when you need to memorize an entire book, carry out a large-scale business project, generate ideas during a brainstorming process, or even sketch out a plan for moving to another city. Mind maps are called one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. The founder of Mind maps, Tony Buzan, gained worldwide fame.
Here are the advantages of Mind Maps given by their creator T. Buzan:
1. It is easier to highlight the main idea if it is placed in the center of the sheet.
2. The relative importance of each idea is clearly visible. More significant ideas will be closer to the center, and less important ones will be on the periphery.
3. Connections between key concepts become immediately recognizable due to their proximity to each other and connecting lines.
4. As a result of all of the above, information will be reproduced better and faster.
5. The structural nature of such a map allows you to easily supplement it with new information without any deletions, cuts, inserts, etc.
6. Each memory card differs in appearance and content from all others. This promotes better memory recall.
7. When performing creative work, such as writing an essay, etc., the unlimited nature of the map (its lack of edges) will allow the brain to more easily absorb new connections and connect new elements.
The integrated application of the above methods will significantly reduce the time spent on memorization. And as a bonus, boring cramming is transformed into an exciting learning practice.
Conclusion
Not every person is naturally given a perfect memory, capable of mastering the information he needs. Of course, you can use various paper, audio, video and computer media to store and retrieve information, but in an increasingly complex human environment, it is necessary to store a large amount of data in your own memory. And not just store it, but be able to use it effectively.
There are certain techniques and methods that allow you to better remember information; you certainly need to be able to use them, since their effectiveness has been proven in practice.
The results of numerous studies indicate that human memory has enormous capacity. Of course, age affects memory, speed of memorization and level of concentration. What's more, if you don't exercise your brain in middle age, you'll be more likely to experience mental decline. To avoid age-related changes, you need to constantly keep your brain in shape. And if you can eliminate all harmful factors and use effective memorization techniques, it is possible that your memory will only get stronger over the years. This is why memory development and mnemonic training are very important at any age.
We can briefly formulate the following recommendations for successful mastery of educational material:
1. Set the task of quickly and firmly remembering the educational material for a long time.
2. Break the memorized material into parts and make a plan for it.
3. Repeat the material before it is forgotten.
4. When memorizing, use different types of memory (primarily semantic) and some individual characteristics of your memory (visual, auditory or motor).
5. Use mnemonics and any other effective methods of quick and lasting memorization.
6. Try to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. This is the best way to store them in memory.
7. Difficult material should be repeated before bedtime, and then in the morning, “for fresh memory.”
References
Harry Lorraine: How to train your memory. Perfect memory is possible. – M.: Potpourri, 2013. – 368 p.
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Dodonova E.S. 100% memory. 25 useful memorization methods in 10 workouts. – M.: Eksmo, 2017. – 192 p.
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Ivanov M.M. Effective memorization technique. – M.: MENATEP-INFORM, 1996. – 224 p.
Krutetsky V.A. Psychology: Textbook for students of pedagogy. schools / V.A. Krutetsky. - M.: Education, 1980. - 352 p.
Lapp D. The art of remembering and forgetting. [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: - htm
Matveev Stanislav. Phenomenal memory. Methods of remembering information. – M.: Alpina Publisher, 2015. – 153 p. - (4th ed.).
Nemov R.S. Psychology. Textbook For higher education students ped. educational institutions. In 3 books. Book 1. General fundamentals of psychology. – 2nd ed. – M.: Education: VLADOS, 1995. – 576 p.
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Two - Venus,
Three - Earth,
Four - Mars.
Five - Jupiter,
Six - Saturn,
Seven - Uranus,
Behind him is Neptune.
He is the eighth in a row.
And after him, then,
And the ninth planet
Called Pluto.
Appendix 2
Mind maps possibilities and limitations:
Appendix 3
Crossword method
