Mnemonic Strategies

Maha Sabah Ismail- Tikrit university

1.0 Preliminary Remarks

More than 100 years ago, Hermann Ebbinghaus was the
first to conduct an experimental investigation of human
memory (Ebbinghaus, 1885). Since then, memory and
knowledge recall have been investigated in hundreds of
studies, resulting in a systematic body of knowledge about
the mechanisms of learning. What is truly remarkable,
however, is that
despite the soundness of the discovered phenomena,
practical application
of these findings are still rare. However ,there are very few
learning tools which incorporate scientifically validated
principles to create a highly productive and individualized
learning environment. In his works, Ebbinghaus tracked his
own ability to memorize and retain a set of nonsense
syllables and he found that reviews of material to be most
effective if they come at spaced intervals (Ebbinghaus,
1885).
In the early 1970's Sebastian Leitner developed a
flashcard study system that employs spaced repetition to
maximize long-term retention of study material (Leitner,
1972). In his system , Leitner found another factor that
1

positively

influences

retention

rate

which

is

the

incorporation of mnemonic items. It is derived from the

ancient Greek word mnemonicos ("of memory"), the term
"mnemonic strategy" denotes the
usage

of

items

such

as

acronyms,

rhymes,

visual

information or stories that improve memory storage and

retrieval. Mnemonic strategies can also be actively used
for instruction to "improve recall by systematically
integrating specific retrieval routes within to-be-learned
content" (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1992), and have been
shown effective for learning facts and data in a wide
variety of subjects and for learners of all
ages .It should be kept in mind, though, that mnemonic
associations are influenced by cultural background and
personal history(Carney and Levin, 2000).

1.1 The Notion of Mnemonics

Mnemonics devices are structured ways to help people
remember and
recall information. Mnemonic instruction combines
presentation of important information with explicit
strategies for recall. It is most commonly employed in
areas where individuals are required to recall
large amounts of unfamiliar information or to make
associations between two or more units of information at
recall. Mnemonics can be applied to any domain requiring
recall of information. Mnemonics can be used with
2

students across a wide age range(Levin, 1993). Though

younger students are usually not required to learn and
recall the large amounts of facts that are required of older
students, associations linking the letter A to apple or
the letter G to glasses employ mnemonic principles.
Mnemonics has been well researched and validated for
students with learning disabilities, as well as for typical
students at all levels of education. Most recall tasks
involve organizing and associating information relative to
some sort of prompt, such as an exam question.
Mnemonics provide cognitive tools to help individuals
make

these

associations.

Some

basic

principles

of

cognitive psychology help to

explain how mnemonics work (Finke, 1989).

1.2 Mnemonic strategies

Mnemonic device is any learning technique that aids
information

retention.

Mnemonics

aim

to

translate

information into a form that the brain can retain better

than its original form. Even the process of merely learning
this conversion might already aid in the transfer of
information to long-term memory. Commonly encountered
3

mnemonics are often used for lists and in auditory form,

such as short poems, acronyms, or memorable phrases, but
mnemonics can also be used for other types of information
and in visual or kinesthetic forms. Their use is based on the
observation that the human mind more easily remembers
spatial,

personal,

surprising,

otherwise

'relatable'

abstract

or

physical,

information,

impersonal

forms

humorous,

rather
of

than

or

more

information

(Gambhir,1993).
Mnemonic techniques vary in complexity from those that are
extremely simple to some that are quite complex. The trick to good
mnemonic encoding is picking the right mnemonic tool for the job. Most
often, mnemonic strategies rely on both verbal and imagery components
to support recall (Graves & Levin, 1989).

1.2.2 First Letter Strategy

This strategy uses the first letter of each word or phrase to be
remembered to make a meaningful word or phrase and it includes
acronyms and acrostics. Acronyms creates new words by merging the
first letters of a listing of words. Each letter of the phrase then stands for
one feature of the to-be-recalled information. Common examples of these
techniques are: Homes (for the names of the Great Lakes: Huron,
Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) and STAB (the four common voices
in a chorus: soprano, tenor, alto, and bass).
According to Scruggs and Mastropieri (2000), acrostics are comparable
to acronyms but consist of sentences. The first letter of each word in the
4

sentence stands for a different word and is useful when information is

needed to be remembered in order. The most common example include
kids playing croquet on freeways get smashed, to remember life science
classification system which consists of :
Kingdom, Phylum, Class,Order,Family,Genus,and Species. Another
example isKing Henry died an ugly death called mumps, to remember
the names of metric system's prefixes of: Kilo, Hecto, Deka, Unit, Deci,
Centi, and Milli (Finke,1989). Similarly, Mastropieri and Scruggs
(1991) suggested the sentence Georges elderly old grandfather rode a
pig home yesterday to recall the spelling for the word geography.
Clearly, the first letter strategy organizes the information into
meaningful chunks and provides cues to help the student recall the target
information. The cues provided by the first letter are, however, minimal
and may not be sufficient to help some learners. Additionally, the target
information must already be familiar and meaningful to the learner.
Therefore, the acrostic Ten Zebras Bought My Car would be of little
benefit to a student attempting to recall the names of the branches of the
facial nerve (Temporal, Zygomatic, Buccal, Masseteric, Cervical) unless
the student was already quite familiar with the terminology (Reitz:1994).

1.2.2 Keyword Strategy

This strategy is considered the most effective and adaptable
mnemonic strategy. It is effective because it increases
concreteness

and

meaningfulness
5

of

newly

acquired

information, and because it ties the new information with the

prior knowledge(Scruggs&Mastropirie,2000).
Mastropirie and Scruggs(1991) describe three steps involved in the use
of the key word mnemonic strategy:
First, students reconstruct the term to be learned into an
acoustically similar, familiar, and easily pictured concrete terms.
Second, they select a keyword and relates the new information in
an interactive picture, image or sentence.
Third, student retrieve the appropriate response by thinking of the
keyword, recalling, the interactive picture and what is happening in
the picture, and then by stating the information.
For example, to help students remember the word barrister is
defined as a lawyer, students first create a keyword for the
unfamiliar word. A good keyword is for barrister is bear. Then,
students create a picture of the keyword and the definition
interacting together. Thus, a picture of a bear and the lawyer in one
picture is not a good mnemonic because the two objects are not
interacting. A better picture is a bear thats is acting as a lawyer in a
courtroom in front of the jury. Finally, the student would retrieve
the keyword, bear, recall the interactive picture, A bear acting as a
lawyer

in

courtroom

and

state

the

desired

word

barrister(Scruggs&Mastropirie,1991).

1.2.3 Pegword strategy

The Pegword strategy can be used when the order of information is
important or when the to-be recalled information involves numbers.
pegwords are short words that sound like numbers and are easy to picture.
6

Pegwords are short, rhyming words for numbers and include(1) one is a
bun,(2) two is shoe, and (3) three is a tree. (Levin et al. 1983)
Mastropierl and Scruggs (1991) provided an example of
pegwords to recall the reasons for dinosaur extinction in
decreasing order of plausibility. Reason number two was
that the swamps may have dried up. This fact and its
plausibility ranking were represented through a drawing of
a dinosaur wearing shoes (pegword for two) and walking
past a sign that said Dry Swamp. At the time of recall,
the learner recalls either the dry swamp or the dinosaur
wearing shoes and then reports the other part of the
image. Thus, a learner may think, I remember a picture of
a dinosaur wearing shoes, what was he doing? OK, walking
past a dry swamp, so reason number two is the swamps
dried up.
Pegwords are extended beyond the number(10).For
example,11 is lever, 12 is elf, 13 is thirsting.
To create a pegword, Schumaker et al,(1998) offered the
following steps:
First, students use the pegword strategy with items
in a list that can be pictured and that must be kept
in certain order,
Second, students organize the critical items to be
recalled in the correct sequence.

 Third, students link each item in the list to the right

pegword by picturing the two together in a small
picture,
Fourth, students combine the entire picture in one
picture.

1.2.4 The loci Strategy

Locus means location or place and its plural is loci. Millennia ago,
the Greeks and later the Romans used this strategy to
memorize information that was important to them. The
origin of this strategy belongs Legend attributes its origin
to the famous Greek poet Simonides, who lived some
2500 years ago. Simonides had been invited to give a
speech at a banquet, but when he stepped out to receive
a message, the building collapsed, killing all the guests.
He was later able to recall the identities of all the victims
who died in the mishap by mentally reconstructing the
banquet table, having originally memorized the position in
which each guest had been seated when the tragedy
.occurred
The Romans further developed it into a sophisticated
technique they referred to as architectural mnemonic, in
books on the subject
This strategy involves associating information with known
places, in the order a person would move through the
location. This is one of the oldest systems for which any
evidence remains (Yates, 1966). D. Brown (2006) gives an
example of remembering all of Shakespeare's plays, in
8

order, by walking through the Globe theater. Some uses of

this system are also known as Memory Palaces. (Int. Ref.
No. 1).
Loci strategy involves making associations between facts to be
remembered and particular locations. In order to remember something,
you simply visualize places and the associated facts. It is based on

choosing a familiar place, such as your home. Create a visual or spatial

map in your mind. That is, visualize it in as much detail as possible its
surroundings, how it looks from different views, and from inside its
rooms. Think of everyone and everything you normally find inside, all
the things you do there and memorable events that may have happened
there. Take the items you wish to memorize and associate them with
different aspects of the house that you have identified. So if you wish to
remember the Boston Tea Party, think of a big party at home where
everyone drinks tea. If you want to memorize a sequence, think of
yourself moving into, out of or around the house, doing various things
and linking the items with familiar places actions or objects in a sequence
.that should be strictly followed while recalling them
This strategy is backed by research on how the brain works and has
been used effectively by memory champions. This strategy is helpful to
those who are visual learners who prefer visual learning style, such
learners can use the loci strategy to memorize their course material or
.other information of practical relevance to you. (Int. Ref. No. 2)

Mnemonic link Strategy 1.2.5

This strategy is sometimes known as a chain strategy, is a way 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 technique used in this strategy 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 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, although the
success of this effect was refuted by several studies which found that the
established connection between the two words is more important than the
.image's absurdity( Einstein, 1987)
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
10

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 digits. This limitation can be resolved either through
bundling or by using either the peg system or the method of loci. (Int.
.Ref. No. 3)

1.4 The Implementation of Mnemonic Strategies

Teachers developing or searching for mnemonic
materials are best advised to focus on factual material in
the curriculum. Keyword mnemonics are particularly well
suited to factual recall tasks and are not intended to
enhance higher-order skills and problem-solving. Factual
information

and

vocabulary

knowledge

is

extremely

important in the success of students in content area

classes (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1992).
Keywords are very appropriate for unfamiliar and
abstract vocabulary because they link the information to
be learned with words that are acoustically similar and
already known to the learner. It is important to structure
the instruction to provide abundant practice and support
for students developing their own mnemonics. To help
students develop their own keywords, King-Sears et al.
(1992) suggest the following steps:
Identify the term.
Tell the definition of the term.
11

 Find a keyword.
Imagine the definition doing something with the
keyword.
Think about the definition doing something with
the keyword.
Study what you imagined until you know the definition.
King-Sears et al. (1992) and others (Mastropieri &
Scruggs,

1991)

have

reported

that

when

students

generate their own strategies, instruction tends to move

at a much slower rate. Because time is limited when

students

generate

their

own

keywords,

often

less

.instructional material can be covered. (Int. Ref. No. 4)

However, several questions regarding this technique
remain

unanswered.

To

date,

we

do

not

have

comprehensive data on whether mnemonic procedures

have the potential to close the gap between the
achievement of students with and without disabilities
when delivered
in inclusive settings. Individual research studies have
shown that large amounts of material can be conveyed
by using carefully controlled procedures which ensure that
students receive a great deal of practice with the
individual mnemonic devices (Levin, 1993).
Little is known about the effects of mnemonics with
culturally and ethnically diverse students. Specifically, the
12

important function that mnemonics serve is in linking

unfamiliar

material

to

already

known

and

concrete

materials. Students who do not share the culture of the

majority of students in the classroom may not profit from
the same mnemonic materials. As with any strategy,
mnemonic instruction must be considered in relation to
the background knowledge and capacity of the students
for whom it is intended (Swanson, 1999). Another
unanswered question relative to mnemonic instruction is
the degree of confusion students will find when presented
with a number of mnemonic devices at once. It remains
unclear how many mnemonic devices can be acquired and
used in a given period of time. Finally, The generalization
of the use of mnemonics is essential for students to gain
independence and to move toward independent learning.
(Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1992).

The mnemonic strategies are not replacements for

studying. They assist in recalling information but require
that the information already be
in memory somewhere. However, the act of creating an
image may sometimes be sufficient to add the information
to memory (Lorayne &
Lucas, 1974). As explained before , whichever mnemonic
technique is applied the uses go beyond memorizing lists
of vocabulary. With practice, any sort of information such
13

as faces, names, dates, and second or foreign language

vocabulary and grammar can be remembered (Brown,
2006).

The Application of Mnemonic strategies in 1.5

Foreign language Teaching Setting
Mnemonics can be helpful in learning foreign languages, for example
by transposing difficult foreign words with words in a language the
learner knows already. A useful such technique is to find link words,
words that have the same pronunciation in a known language as the target
word, and associate them visually or auditorially with the target word.
For example, in trying to assist the learner to remember ohel, the Hebrew
word for tent, the memorable sentence "Oh hell, there's a raccoon in my
tent" can be used. In Arabic, a way to remember the word, bayit, meaning
house, one can use the sentence "that's a lovely house, I'd like to bayit."
The linguist Michel Thomas taught students to remember that estar is the
.Spanish word for to be by using the phrase "to be a star". ( Yates,1966)
Another technique is for learners of gendered languages to associate
their mental images of words with a colour that matches the gender in the
target language. An example here is to remember the Spanish word for
"foot", pie, with the image of a foot stepping on a pie which then spills

blue filling (blue representing the male gender of the noun in this
.example). (Int. Ref. No. 5)

The Effectiveness of Mnemonic Strategies 1.6

14

Interventions using mnemonic instruction have produced some of the

largest instructional gains recorded in the special education literature
(Swanson,1999). It should be noted, however, that the impact of Teachers
employing mnemonics should expect their students to recall substantially
more target material than they would without the technique. However,
they should not be surprised if their students do not recognize the need
for mnemonic devices in other areas of instruction. Building in forced
generalizations and However, Mnemonics vary in effectiveness for
several groups ranging from young children to the elderly. Mnemonic
learning strategies require time and resources by educators to develop
creative and effective devices. The most simple and creative mnemonic
devices usually are the most effective for teaching. In the classroom,
mnemonic devices must be used at the appropriate time in the
instructional sequence to achieve their maximum effectiveness.
(Scruggs& Mastropieri, 1992)
Mnemonics are seen to be more effective for groups of people who
struggled with or had weak long-term memory, like the elderly. Five
years after a mnemonic training study, a research team followed-up 112
community-dwelling older adults, 60 years of age and over. Delayed
recall of a word list was assessed prior to, and immediately following
mnemonic training, and at the 5-year follow-up. Overall, there was no

significant difference between word recall prior to training and that

exhibited at follow-up. However, pre-training performance gains scores
in performance immediately post-training and use of the mnemonic
predicted performance at follow-up. Individuals who self-reported using
the mnemonic exhibited the highest performance overall, with scores
significantly higher than at pre-training. The findings suggest that
15

mnemonic training has long-term benefits for some older adults,

.particularly those who continue to employ the mnemonic
Studies have suggested that the short-term memory of adult humans
can hold only a limited number of items; grouping items into larger
chunks such as in a mnemonic might be part of what permits the brain to
hold a larger total amount of information in short-term memory, which in
.turn can aid the creation of long-term memories
Teachers employing mnemonics should expect their students to recall
substantially more target material than they would without this strategy.
However, they should not be surprised if their students do not recognize
the need for mnemonic devices in other areas of instruction. Building in
forced generalizations and applications will be essential for teaching
students to utilize mnemonics in a broader context ( Willoughby& Wood,
.1995)

1.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Mnemonics

Mnemonics serve an important role in memory, but they have
limitations and should be used sparingly. If they used too extensively,
they become cumbersome and can add confusion to learning process. If
they are not used the mnemonics accurately, they would hinder rather

16

than help recalling information accurately. The following chart shows the
advantages and disadvantages of using mnemonics. (Int. Ref. No.6)

Advantages of Using Mnemonics

Disadvantages of Using
Mnemonics

1. They provide a memory bridge

to help recalling information that
otherwise is difficult to remember.

1. They must be recited and

practiced in a precise manner in
order to work correctly.

2. They involve rearranging or

reorganizing information, which
also helps personalizing the
information and making a more
active learner.

2. They require time to create,

learn, and practice.

3. They add interest to studying by 3. They can become "crutches" and

providing new ways to work with can give a false sense of security
information.
that knowing the information.
4. When used properly, they allow
spending less time retrieving
information from long-term
memory.

4. They rely more on rote memory

than on elaborative rehearsal, so
the actual understanding of the
concepts may be inadequate.
5. Overuse can result in confusion
and an excessive expenditure of
time reviewing.

17

Conclusions
A mnemonic strategies refer to the learning techniques

.1

that aids information retention. Mnemonics aim to

translate information into a form that the brain can
retain better than its original form. Even the process of
merely learning this conversion might already aid in the
transfer of information to long-term memory. Commonly
encountered mnemonics are often used for lists and in
auditory form, such as short poems, acronyms, or
memorable phrases, but mnemonics can also be used
for

other

types

of

information

and

in

visual

or

kinesthetic forms. Their use is based on the observation

that the human mind more easily remembers spatial,
personal, surprising, physical, humorous, or otherwise
'relatable' information, rather than more abstract or
.impersonal forms of information
Mnemonic strategies are consciously used to improve
memory, it helps employ information already stored in
long-term memory to make memorization an easier
.task

3. The most common mnemonic strategies used are as

follows:
A. First Letter strategy.
B. Pegword strategy.
C. Keyword startegy.
D. Loci strategy.
18

.2

E. Mnemonics Link Strategy.

4- Mnemonics are proved to be helpful in learning basic
facts and new vocabulary, which are needed to be
acquired

when

learning

new

subject.

However,

mastering a subject is not simply a matter of knowing a

lot. An expert has a well-organized network of memory
codes into which new information can be easily integrated.
Mnemonic

techniques

on

their

own

do

not

help

understanding the meaning of facts, and do not therefore

help you develop expertise in a subject.

19

Bibliography
Book Sources
Brown, D. (2006). Tricks of the mind. London: Transworld Publishers.

Carney, R. N., & Levin, J. R., 2000. Mnemonic instruction with a focus
on transfer. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 92, No. 4, pp. 783
790.
Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). ber das Gedchtnis: Untersuchungen zur
experimentellen Psychologie. New unchanged and unshortened Edition
1992. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, Germany.
Einstein, F.( 1987).Keyword Mnemonic and Retention of Second
language . Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 520528.
Finke, R. A. (1989). Principles of mental imagery.Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press.
Graves, A. W. & Levin, J. R. (1989). Comparison of Monitoring
20

and Mnemonic Text-Processing Strategies in Learning Disabled Students.

Learning Disability Quarterly, 12, 232-236.
Leitner, S., 1972. So lernt man lernen. Angewandte Lernpsychologie
ein Weg zum Erfolg. Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Lorayne, H., & Lucas, J. (1974). The Memory Book. New York: Stein and
Day

Levin, J.R. (1993). Mnemonic strategies and classroom

learning: A twenty-year report card. The Elementary School
Journal, 94(2), 235-244.
Levin, J.R,Dretzke,B.J.,McCormick,1983. Learning via Mnemonic
piectures:Analysis of the presidential process. New York: Bank Street
College of Education.
Mastropieri, M.A. & Scruggs, T.E. (1991). Teaching students
ways to remember: Strategies for learning mnemonically. Cambridge,
MA: Brookline Press.
(1993) . A practical guide for teaching science to
students with special needs in inclusive settings. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Scruggs, T. E., and Mastropieri, M. A., 1992. Classroom applications of
mnemonic instruction: Acquisition, maintenance and generalization.
Exceptional Children, Vol. 58, pp. 219-229.

21

Schumaker, M.E., Mercer, C.D., & Sindelar, P.T. (1992). Toward

independence with keyword mnemonics: A strategy for science
vocabulary instruction. Remedial and Special Education Journal, 13, 2233.
Swanson, H.L. (1999). Interventions for students with learning
disabilities: A meta-analysis of treatment outcomes. New York: The
Guilford Press.
Willoughby, T. & Wood, E. (1995). Mnemonic strategies. In
E. Wood, V. E. Woloshyn, & T. Willoughby (Eds.) Cognitive
strategy instruction for middle and high schools (pp. 5-17).
Cambridge, MA: Brookline Press.
.

Yates, F. A., (1966). The Art of Memory. Chicago: University of Chicago

Press
(2006).Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics. Hampshire:
Palgrave.
Yule, G. (2006). The Study of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

22

Internet Sources
1. http://webspace.webring.com/people/ge/edgarbook/na
mes/other/nicknames.html (3/5/2014)
2. http://www.helpforenglish.cz/slovni-zasoba/tvorenislov/c2008062401-Zdrobneliny-v-anglictine-diminutives-.html (11/5/2014)
3. http://www.kindredkonnections.com/newsletter/nlcenter
/20090808/questions.html (11/5/2014)
4. http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/centres/sc/dec2004.htm
(11/5/2014)
5. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/diminutive(14/5/2014)

23

6. http://college.cengage.com/collegesurvival/wong/essent
ial_study/6e/assets/students/protected/wong_ch06_indepthmnemonics.html(

24