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If they are built-in abilities, reflecting “brain power,” then either you
have a good memory capacity or you do not. If, on the other hand, the condition under which you learn the
material to be remembered influenced your recall, then memory can be expanded by control of these
situational variables.
Mnemonics is the general name for techniques designed to improve recall by associating the new material
with familiar material, by using vivid images evoked by the material, or by abstracting some elements and
recombining them into a more easily remembered form. For example:
Question: Can you give the colors of the spectrum in their correct sequence?
Answer: Mr. Roy G. Biv is a mnemonic to remember Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-
Blue-Indigo-Violet.
Other Mnemonics You Might Want To Give Your Students
The order of the planets from the sun: “Meek Violet Extraterrestrial Make Just Such
Unusual New Pets.” (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, Pluto)
The most common elements in the human body: “P. COHN’S CaFe” (Phosphorus,
Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Sulfur, Calcium, Iron (Fe))
The order of taxonomic classification of plants and animals: “Kings Prefer Crowns Or
Fairly Grand, Similar Vanities.” (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family,
Genus, Species, Variety)
The best metric system prefixes, in descending order: “Kangaroos Hop, Dancing
Despite Coming Motherhood.” (Kilo (thousandfold), Hecto (hundredfold), Deka
(tenth part), Centi (hundredth part), Milli (thousandth part))
The order of operations in algebra: “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” (Parenthesis,
Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)
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Pi to fourteen decimal places (the number of letters in each word of the mnemonic):
“Now, Dot, I find I still determine to suffer fools who laugh whenever grandpa
insults grandma.” 3.14159265358979
In this experiment, students will test the validity of the assertion that memory can be enhanced through
learning with the narrative chaining mnemonic method supplemented by a procedure that involves greater
depth of processing to overcome a distractor. In addition, there will be a delayed recognition test (as in
multiple-choice exams) to examine the effects of the independent variables on each of three dependent
measures.
1. Word lists are composed of simple nouns high in imagery and concreteness. There are two practice
lists and 10 experimental lists, each containing five words.
2. Timing:
. 10 seconds for presentation of list
. 15-second wait before writing remembered words–this time is filled with either repetition of
words or “distraction” task of saying “Hello.”
. 15 seconds time to write remembered words
. 5–10–minute delay between completion of the last immediate recall list and the start of the first
delayed recall
. 5–minute wait for the delayed recall (or less if students raise their hands when they cannot
recall any more words); fill time with information about memory processes
. 2-4 minutes for recognition test.
3. Presentation of word lists ideally should be tape-recorded by the instructor with the appropriate
timing sequences of presentation–wait/ filler tasks–recall units. In addition to hearing the words
read aloud, students should see them as each list of five words (written large in magic marker on a
file folder) is held up by the instructor.
4. Wait/filler tasks consist either of mere repetition of the five words in a list recited quietly but
publicly or also reciting aloud the word “Hello” for the 15-second wait interval. “Hello” should be
a distractor that interferes with rehearsal and leads to poorer performance on immediate recall.
However, for delayed recall, the effect may be very different and contrary to the simple prediction
that repetition leads to better recall.
5. Depth-of-processing comes into play when, along with the distracting “Hello,” students are asked
to integrate the five words on a given list into a story. They are to perform “narrative chaining” of
the individual words. For example, flower-queen-army-kiss-street becomes, “The flower queen’s army
kissed the street.”
The meaning value of the words is increased by this mnemonic device (the more vivid and bizarre is the
story), and the distracting task requires greater effort to think about the story chain and retain its meaning
while simultaneously uttering “Hello.” This should result in superior delayed recall relative to rehearsal
via repetition. This is the interesting feature of this demonstration. If found, does the effect extend to
recognition as well as recall?