Describe three mnemonic devices. Describe a situation requiring memorization of material and discuss how the three mnemonic devices could be used. Explain which mnemonic device you think would be most effective.
Encoding and Retrieving Memory.html
Encoding and Retrieving Memory
Mnemonics is the art of helping memory in retaining information using aids such as rhymes, phrases, acronyms, figures, and other tools.
Mnemonics is derived from the Greek words mneme (memory) and mnemon(mindful).
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Learning Strategies to Your Aid
Mnemonic devices can help you organize otherwise unorganized information such as lists of
words. They can also be used to give prompts to recall specific items associated with broader
terms.
Some Psychology Concepts Can be Simple.
The first letter of each word (except be) prompts you to remember similarity, proximity, closure,
continuity, and symmetry.
Use this sentence to memorize the Gestalt principle of perception.
The method of loci, an ancient imagery technique of the Greeks and Romans, uses visualization
instead of just language. Using this method, you mentally walk around a familiar place (such as
your living room) and imagine that the items you need to remember are located throughout the
room (when actually they are not).
Therefore, bread could be on the television set, apples could be on the coffee table, and milk
could be on the chair. When you need to remember the items, you walk through the environment
and see the objects you need to recall.
Odd combinations tend to be remembered better (for example, apples on the coffee table instead
of apples in a basket on the table.) Many improve-your-memory books and software are based on
mnemonic devices.
Encoding and Retrieving.html
Encoding and Retrieving
How Memory Works
Information must be held in the STM if it is to be stored in the LTM. It appears that information in the STM is coded in terms of speech and the way the information sounds. For example, when asked to memorize a list of letters, you make more mistakes with similar-sounding letters than with similar-looking letters.
Coding based on meaning (semantics) also appears to occur to a certain degree. The LTM seems to use a variety of codes: semantic, visual, and acoustic. The type of code used probably depends on the situation. But how does information travel from the STM to the LTM?
For declarative memory (memory for facts), information must be rehearsed. Returning to the LOP approach, rehearsing that includes making relationships with different types of information will result in better memory than merely repeating information to yourself.
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Faulty Study Strategies
Late-Night Cramming Enhances Performance
Have you ever felt jittery the night before an exam?
Although your performance on a test may be average, you may not remember the information for
future use. In addition, you may not adequately grasp and learn the information in the first place
and therefore do not do well on the test.
Many studies have shown that over the long term, more information is retained with distributed
practice (learning over a period) than with mass practice (learning in one long session). Although
some students may not believe it, many psychology experiments show that studying on a regular
basis for short periods is much better than studying for several hours right before a test!
Music Quickens Learning
Some people who listen to music while studying feel that it soothes their mind and enhances
learning. Many commercial companies sell music (usually classical music) specially designed to
enhance studying. A few companies even claim that listening to certain types of music can
increase the intelligence quotient (IQ).
But if acoustical coding is important for STM storage, do extraneous sounds interfere with
memory?
With modern laboratory studies in place, the answer appears to be that background sound,
especially speech and even music, can interfere with memory. Therefore, while you might think
you work better with background music, it could be interfering with your learning.
Research Approaches.html
Research Approaches
Scientists have tried to understand the various components of perceptual processing using different methods that fall into two general categories: psychophysical and physiological. The methods are similar yet different.
The psychophysical approach tends to focus more on reported reactions to stimuli, and the physiological approach tends to more directly measure the nervous system and chemical responses.
We will first learn about the psychophysical approach, which is historically the older approach. Psychophysics was founded by Gustav Fechner in the 1800s. Fechner was interested in the experimental study of sensation and perception, and he eventually published an influential book, Elements of Psychophysics.
Psychophysics uses quantitative methods to determine the relationship between stimuli and perception. For example, a participant might be asked to decide whether two colors are the same, and he or she would be expected to answer with a yes or a no.
The psychophysical approach assesses what an individual perceives in different ways, such as by having the person describe, recognize, detect, determine the magnitude, or search.
Let us consider the methodology of the physiological approach. This approach uses technology to measure the physiological and chemical changes that occur within the nervous system, especially the brain. For example, a person is asked to listen to pieces composed by Bach and Mozart. While listening to the music, a brain scanner device (e.g., a functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] device) can be used to determine which composer’s music causes greater limbic system activation.