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How to Memorize Verbatim Text

2007 by Mark Shead 119 Comments If you are visiting from StumbleUpon and like this article and tool, please consider giving it a thumbs up. Thanks! Memorizing does not have to be as hard as most people make it. The problem is that most people only know how to memorize by reading the same thing over and over again. You have to learn to memorize. In this post we are going to look at how the brain remembers and then show how to use that knowledge to come up with a method for

memorizing verbatim text. Any tip or trick that will improve your memory even slightly is well worth the effort. In this article we are going to focus on a technique that will let you easily: 1. 2. 3. 4. Memorize a speech Memorize the Bible Memorize lines Memorize Scripture

At the end of this article is a Javascript tool that makes it easy to implement this method. If you are reading the RSS or Email version, the tool may not show up. Synapses and Neurons and How to Memorize In the simplified model of the brain in this discussion, well be looking at neurons and synapses. Neurons are parts of the brain that can send and receive electrical signals. Synapses are the paths between neurons. When you remember something neurons fire signals down particular synapse pathways to other neurons which in turn fire signals to other neurons. The particular sequence represents a memory. In fact, scientists have been able to make people re live experiences from the past by poking around in their brain with an electric probe and starting this interaction. Strong Pathways Synapses appear to exhibit plasticity. The strength of the signal they convey is determined by use. The more a particular synapse is used, the stronger the signal it conveys. For example, consider remembering your home telephone number. Since this is a number you use on a regular basis it probably comes very easily to mind. When you try to recall the number some neurons fire of a signal down some synapses that carry a very strong signal to other neurons which do the same thing. The number comes with very little effort. Now consider a number that you will have trouble remembering. Lets say your drivers license number. For most people an attempt to recall this number will cause neurons to fire down very weak synapses. If you are like me, the signal is so week that it will probably not create the necessary chain reaction to recall the number. In fact all I get is a vague impression that the first letter is an S or E. To improve your memory of this number it is necessary to fire a signal down the synapses that will trigger this memory. How to Memorize Practice Recalling not Repeating This is the crucial concept of any type of memorization. The act of reading something you want to memorize fires different

connections than the act of recalling. This is how you learn to memorizeyour practice recalling, not repeating. This means that simply reading a particular piece of text over and over again is going to be the long road to memorization. You need to let your brain practice recalling the data so it can strengthen the same pathways that will fire when you need to remember the information later on. You cant practice recalling until the information is at least partially contained in your short term memory. Now lets look at coming up with a method for memorizing text using our understanding of how the brain works. So lets say we are trying to memorize the Gettysburg Address by Lincoln. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The 278 word speech is not a particularly long oration, but it will work for our demonstration purposes. Our goal is to create a method that will force our brain to practice recalling the speech even before we have it fully memorized. So first of all we need to get it into our mind so our brain has iteven if we cant recall it. Here are a few methods that will work: 1. 2. 3. 4. Read through it aloud. Copy the text by hand. Read through the text and create a short outline. Have someone else read it to you.

There are other methods as well, just do something to get a general familiarity with the piece. Now we need to come up with a method to give our brain, just enough information to recall the original text without simply reading the original. F s a s y a o f b f o t c, a n n, c i L, a d t t p t a m a c e.

N w a e i a g c w, t w t n, o a n s c a s d, c l e. W a m o a g b-f o t w. W h c t d a p o t f, a a f r p f t w h g t l t t n m l. I i a f a p t w s d t. B, i a l s, w c n d w c n c w c n h t g. T b m, l a d, w s h, h c i, f a o p p t a o d. T w w l n, n l r w w s h, b i c n f w t d h. I i f u t l, r, t b d h t t u w w t w f h h t f s n a. I i r f u t b h d t t g t r b u t f t h d w t i d t t c f w t g t l f m o d t w h h r t t d s n h d i v t t n, u G, s h a n b o f a t g o t p, b t p, f t p, s n p f t e. What weve done is taken the first letter of each word. Now try to recite the speech while looking at the text above. Youll probably get part way into it and get confused. Backup a few letters and look beyond the letter you are struggling with to see if you can figure it out. Remember you are trying to help your brain find the right connections. If you have to consult the original, make note of what confused you and start over. I have found this method to be much more productive for memorizing verbatim text than just about anything else. I used it extensively in school when I was trying to find how to memorize scripture quickly. It will help improve your memory by giving you a way to practice. However, keep in mind that it is simply one method. When you need to memorize something, think about how to help your brain practice recalling the informationnot merely reading it over and over again. Your goal is to quickly get the information into your short term memory so you can start practicing the recall process and move the information into long term memory. Below is a tool to help you produce first letter text as shown above. Simply paste the original text in the top box and hit the button. All the letters other than the first one of each word will be stripped out and placed in the bottom box. You can then copy this into a document for printing. This article was useful when looking for:

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Comments

1.

Guy (3 comments) says: June 17, 2009 at 9:02 am Thanks, know the feeling. I am looking forward to giving the system a try :-) Reply

2.

TN Lizzie (1 comments) says: August 8, 2009 at 9:21 pm Wow! Wow! Wow!

My 14yo is studying 1,507 Bible verses for Bible Bee 2009, and we found you through http://www.scripture-memory-support.org/prompt.html ! This is going to be such a blessing as we head into the last few weeks before competition on Sept. 12. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! We will spread the word, so I hope we dont close down your site here! :ob Reply

3.

Jeff Miles (15 comments) says: August 10, 2009 at 10:24 pm For those who are interested, the UPurMEMORY tool that I wrote for Windows has been updated to work with 64-bit Windows Operating Systems. You can find it here: http://www.twomilessolutions.com/upurmemory Reply

4.

Ghostwoods (1 comments) says: September 5, 2009 at 5:37 am Mark, this is a truly brilliant technique. I often need to memorize passages of historic text verbatim, and it has always been a nightmare, even with the kind of mnemonic memory techniques the Prof mentioned above. To explain that a little by the way, the idea is that through training, you learn shortcut associations for each number from 1-100 and each letter (and, if you want to take part in memory tournament *shudder* each card in a deck) with a specific graphic image. For instance, in the system I use, 1 is a Tie, 2 is Noah, 3 is Mother, and so on. Then when you need to memorise something, you break it into conceptual chunks, and associate each chunk its own graphic mental image. The pre-memorised shortcuts can help a lot in some cases, and not at all in others. Once you have your graphic visualisations, you piece them together into a mental story the stranger, more striking, more obscene, whatever the better.

So four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent could be a big football-stadium scoreboard made of Rye (the token for 4). A godzilla-sized cow (for 7) then takes a bite out of the scoreboard. Then maybe my father could kick the cow (now poodle-sized) off into the distance, and, I dunno, squat down and give birth onto America. Not very nice, I admit I write horror for a living, heh but certainly memorable. Its a system that works very well, but as you can see, it is also very laborious. Its pretty damn good for shopping lists and stuff like that, though. Anyway. Thanks again for this great technique. Oh and also, people, dont buy Jeffs exploitative cash-in tool directly above this comment. Please, bookmark this page. If you really dont want to do that, then to quote Stephen Downes above: This is a very simple bit of Javascript code, based on a one-line regular expression, and nobody should be charging $10 for something like this. Go here: http://www.downes.ca/memorization.htm and view the source. Better yet, save a copy to your desktop and open it there. T. Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: September 5, 2009 at 6:51 am @Ghostwoods Im glad you like the system. Jeffs program has some additional capabilities when it comes to testing yourself that would be very handy to some people. Whether it is worth the small fee he is charging probably has more to do with how much you need to memorize and how much your time is worth, but I would hardly call $10 exploitative. Reply

Vladimir Vuvuzela (1 comments) says: March 12, 2011 at 4:28 pm

The method you speak of is called The Method of Loci, also commonly called memory palace. Based off of your story about Godzilla and the cow, I have concluded that you are quite good at using this technique. Its cool how you associate familliar things with what you are trying to memorize, because it engages more of your brainmaking it easier to recall things. The crazier the story the easier to remember. Reply

5.

Bryan Davis (1 comments) says: September 13, 2009 at 5:21 pm I am memorizing the lyrics(German) and the translation, this seems to work well for the lyrics, I am trying to incorporate this into memorizing the translation. Creating Flash card would be too cumbersome> any ideas? Reply

6.

JB (3 comments) says: September 14, 2009 at 2:13 pm Mark: Great site. In your learned opinion, would there be a more effective or more efficient way of memorizing long lists of phrases (verbatim) but also to incorporate little nuances and wrinkles to each phrase and how each phrase would be applied (not verbatim)? For example, to memorize verbatim a list of elements(phrases) for a particular item, but also to memorize (not necessarily verbatim) when each such element/phrase would apply or when there are exceptions to each element/phrase. This is in the context of me trying to study for the Bar Exam. Some things need to be memorized verbatim, while each item/phrase in the list of, say 5-10 short items/phrases would have sub-items/phrases that are contextual in nature (i.e., that a given item/phrase only applies in certain situations, who this applies to, or other general considerations such as if one of the verbatim items is or is not present within a given set of facts or a given situation, then one must look at something completely different like a separate list of items memorized verbatim, etc.,). I think the my circumstances may be distinguishable just enough from the situation youve highlighted in the above article so as to warrant a slight modification of approach, but Id love to know if you think it does or not. Kindly awaiting your expert advice or opinion re: this situation. Reply

7.

Scott (10 comments) says: September 17, 2009 at 2:11 pm This is a great technique! Ive combined your technique with a few others, and put together a free web app for memorizing pieces word for word called Verbatim: http://members.cox.net/astonishment/iphone/webapps/verbatim/ It runs on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Palm Pre, Android devices, and WebKit-based browsers (such as Safari and Google Chrome). Ive also linked this article in the manual under related resources. Reply

8.

Sasha (1 comments) says: September 27, 2009 at 7:14 am Wow! I have a play to learn, and despite the fact that I only read it through once before I typed it in, I was able to recall almost all my lines! I would reccommend this to anyone, it should be publicised a little more, its a great technique! Its very versatile and anyone could use it! Thankyou so much! Reply

9.

Taylor (1 comments) says: October 29, 2009 at 4:46 pm I had to memerize this one poem to me 3 days. It takes 67 minutes to say but I did it. Steps 1.read over a stanza 5 times 2.write out the poem 5 times 3.Then say each word slowly, but not to slow Then repeat the steps 3 times then bravo your down! Reply

10.

Jules (1 comments) says: January 25, 2010 at 2:08 pm WOW this really helped me. I cant believe I found this. SO helpful. THANK YOU!!! Reply

11.

Kirstyyyyy (1 comments) says: June 15, 2010 at 9:10 am Thankyou so much i had to memorize a 1600 word essay for my HSC thats the final year of school to get into Uni.. So much stress releif Cheers Mate Reply

12.

Sagar Gandhi (1 comments) says: June 19, 2010 at 10:11 am Thanks .. That was great information. I never read such detailed application oriented article about memory. Thanks again. Reply

13.

Katie (3 comments) says: August 8, 2010 at 1:43 am I need to have 27 scriptures memorized in less than an hour. Whats the quickest way?! Please help!

Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 8, 2010 at 5:09 pm I would use the method described on this page. It the fastest way I know of. Reply

14.

Kieren (1 comments) says: August 11, 2010 at 7:57 pm Im a Freemason, and a most of our work is reciting ritual parrot fashion. A lot of the words and phrases are in old English dialect, and so not used in normal everyday life. I have struggled for a number of years memorizing our various ritualistic parts and verses, but after just a few days of using this technique, my work has increased noticeably. With your permission, I shall most definitely be passing this technique on to others who are/have been in a similar predicament to myself. Many, many thanks for this most useful piece of information. Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 11, 2010 at 9:03 pm Im glad you found it useful. Feel free to share it with who ever you think can use it. Reply

15.

Alberto (1 comments) says: September 24, 2010 at 11:31 am Has anyone tried this technique to learn verbatim foreign language texts?

Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: September 27, 2010 at 2:36 pm Im not sure it would work well to learn a foreign language, but it should work just fine for leaning text in any language. Reply

16.

Anna (7 comments) says: September 27, 2010 at 8:19 pm Im 13 how can I memorize countries and there capitals (all over the world,) plus rivers deserts etc..??? HELP!! Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: September 28, 2010 at 9:09 am Id try using flashcards for that. Reply

17.

Olivier (1 comments) says: November 15, 2010 at 5:12 pm Im studying Russian and my teacher assigns us texts to memorize. This technique is quite helpful for that. Its a pity the tool doesnt work with the cyrillic alphabet, but thanks anyway. Reply

18.

Peter (7 comments) says: December 22, 2010 at 1:57 am The memorizing app Remember Me for Android now also supports the first letter method, and some other ways to learn a text verbatim. Reply

19.

Albert Sparks (9 comments) says: February 7, 2011 at 7:43 pm I am sorry, but nothing works for me other than writing. If I write through critiquing what I read, then I am more likely to retain the broad message. I am afraid that the specific details, such as names, places and things just disappear in my memory; lost to all, but that corner of my brain that I cannot recall. Reply

20.

praveen (1 comments) says: March 29, 2011 at 1:01 am techniques. Unfortunately for you Mac users, it is a windows application. You can run it using parallels or other virtual machine type applications, but I do not own a mac so I have not tested it on one. It has been tested and works on both Windows Vista and Windows XP and should work all the way back to Windows 98 Reply

21.

Michaela (1 comments) says: April 11, 2011 at 9:32 pm I am actually trying to memorize the Gettysburg Address LOL Reply

22.

Amy (8 comments) says: May 15, 2011 at 6:10 pm This was wonderful. Really useful and quick Reply

23.

John (23 comments) says: June 15, 2011 at 6:30 pm I tried your method for a while (7 days) and i found that it was encourageing for a short time and now i am using Pmemory system its great! Reply

24.

Shanella Fernando (1 comments) says: June 19, 2011 at 6:59 pm I used this method to memorize a speech for my grade 10 french oral exam. Cetait fantastique. :) Reply

25.

Cliff (1 comments) says: June 24, 2011 at 9:13 pm WOW!! I just tried this with article 1 of the code of conduct. It worked! Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: June 25, 2011 at 12:23 am

Glad to hear it helped you. What exactly are you memorizing? Reply

26.

Neil (6 comments) says: July 4, 2011 at 2:01 pm This article is VERY helpful! Thank you! I will be using this method to try and memorize verses for evangelism. Reply

27.

Russell (1 comments) says: July 9, 2011 at 2:12 am Any ideas on a good method for memorizing Chinese Characters ? Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: July 11, 2011 at 10:00 am I dont have any suggestions. Does anyone else have any experience memorizing Chinese characters? Reply

28.

Rachel (4 comments) says: July 14, 2011 at 1:22 am Thank you SO much!!! Im just starting to do some acting, and memorizing is extremely hard for me. I feel trapped because I want to play the characters well, but cant focus on characterization when I dont know the lines to begin with! I think Ill be able to pull this off now :)

Reply

29.

Ann (7 comments) says: August 8, 2011 at 4:52 am Hi Mark! I coach people who want to learn verbatim text and your method continues to be an awesome addition to our resources. THANK YOU!!. Many of us have downloaded the link to the first-letter tool I hope you wont be taking it down anytime soon! Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 8, 2011 at 9:13 am I would love to hear some examples of how it has helped people you coach! Reply

30.

ANMB (1 comments) says: August 8, 2011 at 12:16 pm I found this site when searching for more effective methods for memorize the Quran (in Arabic, verbatim) as has been done for the last 1,400+ centuries. I will try the letter tool for the English translation, although it does not work for Arabic text. Thanks. Reply

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 8, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Sorry it only works with English. You can still do the same thing manually though. Reply

31.

Vennela (1 comments) says: September 6, 2011 at 10:04 pm Awesome! The method is really mind blowing. but unfortunately I have very short time to reach my goal for this year, I should have visited this site long back, but anyways let me give a try. Thanks a lot for the method and tool. Reply

32.

Clark Shaw (1 comments) says: September 16, 2011 at 11:08 pm This is by far the most awesome thing ever. Ive been in College for 2 years and Ive tested multiple ways of my own ideas for improving my studies but though Ive heard of these before the way you described it put it into a new perspective thanks a lot. Reply

33.

Andrelle (1 comments) says: November 22, 2011 at 11:40 pm I am a student soon attending university, with the stress i am undergoing know Im not sure if ill be able to manage. To tell you the truth I can actually see the logics in remebering stuffs using the first letters. Ill definitely try this method. Bravo man, hope youll send more memory tutorials (+1d this article). Reply

34.

Rama (1 comments) says:

November 27, 2011 at 10:10 am and what about vocabulary how we can memorize it do you have any simple way because i have a very short memory i even forget names .. so can you help me :) ? Reply

35.

Raheel (1 comments) says: August 16, 2011 at 10:27 am Hello Dear. Your solution for memorizing is highly capable and I really appreciate your work.My question is that this java script converter is only working with English font. I have to use it with different fonts. Like Arabic etc.. I will be waiting for your kind reply! thanks Reply

36.

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 16, 2011 at 11:26 am I havent tried any other fonts. You can use the method though even if the tools doesnt do it automatically for you. Reply

37.

Andy (8 comments) says: August 24, 2011 at 5:58 pm Mark, I am memorizing a large volume of lines for a theater production. I can see where this will be a tremendous help for uninterrupted monologues, but how would you suggest using it for memorizing those two or three sentence lines in response to another actors cue line(s)? Reply

38.

Mark Shead (1088 comments) says: August 24, 2011 at 6:46 pm I would suggest making a script where all of your lines are the one letter version, but the other lines are the full versions. That way you can read the other lines and then fill in your own. Reply

Older Comments

Trackbacks
1. Reader Question - Memorization at Productivity501 says: February 8, 2008 at 4:52 am [...] verbatim memorization, checkout this method. It contains a simple tool for practicing [...] Reply 2. Popular Post: How to Memorize : Productivity501 says: April 10, 2008 at 1:32 pm [...] How to Memorize Verbatim Text has been our most popular post for the past month. If you missed it, be sure check it outparticularly the Javascript tool toward the bottom. You type in the text you want to memorize and it gives you a cheat sheet to help with the process. [...] Reply 3. April 15, AD 2008 GFP Links To Peruse says: April 15, 2008 at 2:53 am [...] How to Memorize Verbatim Text [...] Reply 4. Commercial Memory Application : Productivity501 says:

April 15, 2008 at 7:33 am [...] a commercial memorization application based on the technique and tool I demonstrated in the How to Memorize [...] Reply 5. How To Memorize Resources : Productivity501 says: June 8, 2008 at 9:34 pm [...] are some great resources on memorization in addition to our popular post and memory tool for memorizing verbatim text. If you like this collection, please consider signing up for the daily email or rss [...] Reply 6. How to Study : Productivity501 says: June 16, 2008 at 5:14 am [...] have previously looked at how to memorize verbatim text. If you havent read that post, be sure to check it out. It gives a good overview of how your [...] Reply 7. An Effective Tool to Help You Memorize | Richard Nantel says: August 28, 2008 at 8:22 am [...] plan to memorize the lyrics to one song per week. In looking for tips on memorization, I discovered an effective yet simple memorization tool on the Web last [...] Reply 8. OLDaily- Effective Tool to Help You Memorize Verbatim Text Dianas Blog says: August 29, 2008 at 4:37 pm [...] tool to help anyone memorize verbatim text. The tool is based on research of the brain found at http://www.productivity501.com/how-to-memorize-verbatim-text/294/ I could see how this research could help many with learning barriers. Processing information and [...] Reply

9. OLDaily response to An Effective Tool to Help You Memorize Text | Mel Bro says: August 29, 2008 at 8:54 pm [...] in English class. I have learned many ways to memorize text and this memorization tool found here http://www.productivity501.com/how-to-memorize-verbatim-text/294/ is a new one for me. When I had to memorize poems or even The Preamble I would always start with [...] Reply 10. Very distant learning Adelliott08s Weblog says: September 3, 2008 at 9:08 pm [...] gets done. I view this as a type of learning..whether it be memorizing something (thanks to the tool post and reply I received) just as important as what I am earning a grade for each [...] Reply 11. Mega Collection of Memorization Tips & Techniques Ann Kroeker says: October 2, 2008 at 8:07 am [...] a site called Productivity 501, I found an article called How to Memorize Verbatim Text. It has a simple online tool you can use to help reinforce what youre working on. The [...] Reply 12. My Mega Memory Month Results erin straza says: October 31, 2008 at 12:16 pm [...] the first-letter technique to strengthen the memory links in my brain. I used the nifty tool at Productivity501 to produce my first-letter reference cards. Its a great way to talk through the verses that [...] Reply 13. School of Phenomenal Memory?? - Page 6 says: January 23, 2009 at 8:43 am

[...] Seriously though, the basics you may learn from that link above and How to Memorize wikiHow How to Memorize Verbatim Text : Productivity501 Free memorization information that you can really really apply. Easy Tips For Faster Reading [...] Reply 14. My MMM2 Party erin straza says: February 5, 2009 at 9:17 am [...] Scripture verses are mighty close to being perfected! With the first-letter prompts, I can recite the entire chapter, no flaws. Without the prompts, I get through verse 20 or so, then [...] Reply 15. Free Academic Podcasts : Productivity501 says: April 4, 2009 at 12:53 pm [...] I was hoping to find the Physics of Superheros in the list or a Pottery lecture. Maybe next year. Also be sure to checkout our study tips for students and our simple memorization technique. [...] Reply 16. Memorization : Productivity501 says: May 11, 2009 at 9:13 pm [...] method and tool are the best way Ive found to memorize verbatim text. Give it a try and let me know how well it works for [...] Reply

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How we Remember
1. Memory itself probably cannot be developed; however, improvement in remembering comes from correcting certain habits or thoughts so that we use our memory to its fullest potential. Remembering is like seeing; improvement in either function does not depend upon how much we use it but, rather, how we use it. 2. The first and most important rule for remembering is: cultivate the habit of close attention to the thing you wish to remember. Be sure you have a clear, sharp impression of the face, name, date, or facts, which you will need to know at a future time. If you wish to remember a fact, make it meaningful to you. 3. When we are learning, we should try not only to get a strong impression but to obtain as many different kinds of impressions as possible. Some people can remember colors distinctly, but have a poor memory for shapes. But anyone, by putting together and using all of the impressions our sense organs bring us about one thing, allows us to remember it much more clearly than if we rely on sight or sound alone. For example, try reading your lesson aloud. In doing this, your eye takes in the appearance of the printed word, your ear passes the sound of the words to your brain, and even the tension of the muscle of your throat add their bit to the total impression which your mind is expected to store away. 4. Try to visualize it. Either remember a diagram or a picture of the material to be remembered, or take short notes about it, which help you to visualize. 5. Intend to remember. The mere intention to remember puts the mind in a condition to remember, and if you will make use of this fact in studying you will be able to recall between 20 and 60 percent more of what you read and hear than you would if you were not actively trying to remember.

6. Think about it. A fact doesn't belong to you until you have used it. In making use of this principle, plan to spend not more than one-half of your study period in reading your lesson. Use the other half in doing something with what you learn. Think about what you have studied, write down notes on it, and explain it to somebody else. 7. Logical memory. One of the most important of all aids to the remembering process is the habit of associating a new idea immediately with facts or ideas that are already firmly lodged in the mind. This association revives and strengthens the old memories and prevents the new one form slipping away by anchoring it to the well-established framework of your mental world. 8. Remembering by brute force. We will forget more, on the average, during the first hour after learning than during the next 24 hours; and we will forget more, on the average, during the first day than we will during the next thirty days. Whatever is left after thirty days time, we will probably be able to hold on to without much further loss for years to come. 9. Reviewing is much more effective if carried out before memories have entirely escaped than it is after considerable time has elapsed. Repetitions should be strung out over as long a time as is available. We remember better if we pause a little between periods of study. 10. How much study? You should study more than just enough to learn your assignment. Experiments have proven that 50% more study resulted in 50% better retention. After a week had passed, it was found that extra work had salvaged six times as much of the material as in the case when it was barely learned

Bibliography
Pauk, Walter. How To Study In College (2nd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974. CP Home CP Find It Get Adobe Reader Microsoft Viewers Staff Site Map Student Employment Last Update: 4/11/11 Academic Skills Center Kennedy Library, Rm 112 San Luis Obispo, Ca 93407-0204 805.756.1256 wsydnor@calpoly.edu

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Human Memory
There are three basic questions to ask about memory:

how are memories formed? (encoding) how are memories retained? (storage) how are memories recalled? (retrieval)

Encoding

encoding is an active process requires selective attention to the material to be encoded one question is at what point in the process is the distracting material screened out o early: Broadbent (1958) binaural v dichotic listening binaural (2 messages but heard with both ears)...difficult to recall dichotic (2 messages, one heard by one ear, other by other ear)...muc recall one message and ignore the other o however, cocktail party phenomenon suggests a late filtering: all messages a registered but only the ones with meaning are actually put into memory o another possibility is that where the filter occurs depends upon the task: the attentional capacity that is available at any one time, the more one can use m and then the later input filter (selection) (Shiffrin, 1988). memories may then be affected by the amount or type of attention devoted to the tas encoding the material there may be different levels of processing which occur and that some are deeper tha but there is no definition for what is meant by "deeper" o structural encoding (emphasis on the physical structural characteristics of the stimulus) is a shallow level o phonemic encoding (emphasis on the sounds of the words) is an intermediate o semantic encoding (emphasis on the meaning) is considered deep processing other aspects of encoding o elaboration=associating with other information o visual imagery can be used to add richness to the material to be remembered adds more sensory modalities) see research by Paivio then have two chances to remember something: visual and verbal

self-referent: make the material personally relevant this requires deciding how the information is personally relevant

Storage

Over the years, analogies have been made to the new technology of the day to try to memory...current theories use a computer based model or information processing m the most accepted model states that there are three stages of memory storage: senso short-term store, and long-term store. o sensory store retains the sensory image for only a small part of a second, just enough to develop a perception o short term memory (STM) lasts for about 20 to 30 seconds without rehearsal information with rehearsal short term memory will last as long as rehearsal contin short term memory is also limited in terms of the number of items it c (see Miller, 1956) capacity is about 7 items can increase capacity by "chunking" (combine similar materia units) originally short term memory was perceived as a simple rehearsal bu turns out to be more complicated: it is not limited to phonemic encod of information occurs by other means than simply decay and displace perhaps short term memory is better modeled by the CPU of a compu the ability to store a limited amount of information in its cache ram w processes it...a sort of working memory o long term memory has been suggested to be permanent: that nothing is forgo the means of retrieving it is lost supporting evidence includes the existence of flashbulb memories: vivid recollections of important events s death of JFK or the Challenger Space shuttle crash Penfield's electrical stimulation of the brain studies hypnosis aided recall but these memories are not as accurate as once thought so perhaps lon memory is not permanent so how does short term memory "stuff" get into long term memory serial position effect primacy: perhaps this affects long term memory, first rehearsed more and thus can go into long term memor recency: words at end not rehearsed as often but they available in short term memory so rehearsal helps get things into long term memory but there different kinds of rehearsal: maintenance rehearsal: simple recitation elaborative rehearsal: meaning of the information is i and this is more likely to cause shift into long term me organizational structures of long term memory

clustering: related items are usually remembered toge chunking in short term memory) conceptual hierarchies: classification scheme used wh possible to organize memories semantic networks are less neatly organized bunches o conceptual hierarchies linked together by associations concepts schemas are clusters of knowledge about an event or o abstracted from prior experience with the object (we te recall objects that fit our conception of the situation be ones that do not) a script is a schema which organizes our knowledge ab common things or activities: if you know the script ap to the event, you can better remember the elements of

Retrieval

memory retrieval is not a random process cues can help with retrieval o context cues: perhaps it is the process of reinstatement of context cues that a for the helpfulness of hypnosis in recall o mood: state dependent memory refers to the improvement in recall that can when the same emotional state is created as was present in the acquisition ph memories are reconstructions (Bartlett, 1932) o schema theory and findings supports this notion as well o eyewitness testimony (Loftus, 1979) has shown that memories of an event ca changed by misinformation inserted into questions about an event (postevent misinformation) perhaps some of the errors in recall are a result of failure in source monitoring (reme the origins of the memories) o such errors happen often o may be responsible for reporting a memory as accurate eyewitness recall wh something someone said ("gossip") o another version of this is "reality" monitoring: did the event occur internally or imagination) or externally (a perception of an actual event)

Forgetting

why do we lose memories? it can be a problem with encoding, storage, retrieval, or combination of these Ebbinghaus (1885) o memorized nonesense syllables (CVC's) himself o he found that most forgetting occurs very soon after learning however, when meaningful material is used, the forgetting curve is not so precipitiou measures used: retention is the amount of material remembered

recall=subjects produce the information on their own (e.g., essay questions) recognition=subjects identify previously learned information (e.g., multiple c questions) o most research shows that recognition is easier than recall o relearning=look for savings in the second time of learning theories of forgetting o ineffective intial encoding ("pseudoforgetting") usually occurs because of in attention in the acquisition phase o decay: forgetting occurs because memory fades with time (sort of like the ef friction?) but time is in and of itself is not a variable; it is only a medium in wh processes can happen o interference: forgetting occurs because of competition from other informatio retroactive interference=new information interfers with what has alre learned proactive interference=old information interfers with what is being le o retrieval failure=sometimes we can not remember something which at anothe can remember it; perhaps this is because of the context cues or retrieval cues the time o motivated forgetting: we may tend to forget things that we do not wish to re (Freud)

o o

Repressed Memories

Freud long ago suggested that memories repressed: repressed memories are those w some reason the individual keeps in the unconscious some people have suggested that memories which are "recovered" by therapists are which the therapists have created ("false memories") o could be due to problems in source monitoring o could be due to failures in memory reconstruction

Physiology of memory: the search for the engram (the un memory)

biochemical theories o memory storage occurs in biochemical changes at the synapse o people with Alzheimer's show a depletion of acetylcholine and glutamate neural circuit theories o there may be specific circuits in the brain for specific memories o there may be dendritic growth brain injury: o anterograde amnesia (injury prevents new memories from occurring): HM ( al) memory loss probably due to damage to the hippocampus o probably other areas in the limbic system are involved too but these areas are likely the site where short term memory is consolidated into long term memo

so memory is probably stored in the cortex, probably the sensory cortex appropriate sensory modality

Different kinds of memory?

implicit vs explicit: prompting (giving clues or partial stimuli) will cause people wi anterograde amnesia to remember what they had seen (implicit memory) ...explicit m requires intentional recollection (when asked) Are these different memory systems differences in retrieval ability? declarative v. procedural o declarative = informational o procedural = actions, skills, operations (perceptual-motor) o memory for skills is largely unconscious and thus it might be related someho implicit memory o semantic (knowledge not tied to time) v episodic (knowledge tied to time wh happened) declarative memory

This page was featured in the scene between the master infinite player and the appre Infinite Play The Movie Human Memory The Science

Theories and Processes underlying memory, memorization improvement are a few basic co Although we will not go into extensive detail about theories of memory, we will present som basic ideas to help you understand why certain techniques work. Brain mind memory encoding, storage, retention, and retrieval

Understand your brains natural memory rhythms and take advantage of them to improve yo memory, memorization skills and enhance your learning capabilities. Memory memorization and related learning principles Improving memory - memory enhancing techniques methods for improved memorization An Empirical Investigation Into the Effect of Beta Frequency Binaural Beat Audio Signals Measures of Human Memory Memory and related learning principles

Mnemonic Techniques and Specific Memory Tricks to Improve memory and memorization techniques Tricks to improve memory and memorization Generic Long Term Memory memorization Hermann Ebbinghaus- Memory learning memorization maximizing recall retention

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Memory
Understanding memory and memorization

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How to Improve Memory

July 25, 2010 By Joe

Memory is undoubtedly one of the most important functions of the brain. It allows us to interact socially with other people, study and retain what we have learned, and create meaningful relationships between information from past experiences and information from current happenings. Memory is an integral part of our daily lives. It shapes who we are and how we perceive everything that we see, hear and do. Though many people think of memory as something that is static, there are a few ways to improve your memorys capacity and efficiency. One easy way to improve memory performance is to get some exercise. For most people, going for a quick walk is not a huge time investment, and from what research tells us, it can be very beneficial. The increased flow of blood to the brain (that results from exercise) helps send more nutrients and oxygen to the brain. With more fuel, the brain is able to store more information and encode data more efficiently. Good nutrition also plays a part in keeping the brain working how it should. Foods that are rich in Vitamin B, Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants (such as spinach, blueberries and fish, respectively). Another way to improve your retention of memories is to work on your attention span. Some scientists call attention the bottleneck to how much information you can store in memory. If this is true, then it is very important to try to minimize distractions when you are studying or committing anything important to long-term memory. One way to improve attention span is to listen to classical music. Research has shown that certain qualities in classical music improve cognitive performance as well as retention of memories. The complex nature of the music helps to expand a persons analytical abilities, which also contributes to cognitive performance. Additional ways to improve memory exist in the form of memory tricks. Mnemonics, the Method of Loci, music and rhymes are all ways to improve the way that the mind encodes information, especially with respect to long-term memory. Many high school and even some college teachers use mnemonics to help students remember abstract concepts. Most of these are used in science classes (such as acronyms), but memory tricks can be applied to just about any series of data that contains words. For things that contain numbers, the trick known as chunking is a great way to break down a series of numbers for memorization. One good example is how phone numbers are set up. Research showed scientists that people could

remember seven (plus or minus two) numbers well. They also found that grouping the numbers into sections of three, three and four helped people recall them better. So, exercising, eating healthfully, improving your attention span and using memory tricks are all ways that you can help you mind when it comes to memory. Taking care of your mind and body and constantly taking in information will help your memory work like a well-oiled machine . . . or hard drive. photo by Richard0 Filed Under: Featured

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