Mnemonic devices
Mnemonic devices should probably not be used for memorizing concepts because they are designed to sidestep the deep meaning of a given material. For this reason, these techniques are excellent for remembering lists and necessary facts.
2 keys to memory
Repetition and association are two essential components to any memory technique.
Repetition
Mnemonic devices demand active participation and a constant
repetition of the material to be memorized. This repetition is not
passively repeating words, but instead it is meaningful practice which
involves familiarizing yourself with a list, trying to memorize it,
duplicating it, and then checking it yourself. This process acts as a
holding pattern while links are found to retain the information
permanently.
Association
New knowledge is more effectively stored in the long term
memory when it is associated with anything that is familiar. Mnemonic
focus on association and with a little creativity, your associations
will be so bizarre that you can't help but remember them.
Some mnemonic devices
There are many mnemonic devices from which to choose; some very simple, and some very complex. Here are some examples of each:
Rhyme
If you think about it, you can probably remember rhymes from clear back in grade school: nursery rhymes, spelling rhymes etc.
Example:
Sentence
When the list must be memorized in order, make a sentence out of the initial letters of the words you are trying to memorize.
Example:
The twelve Cranial nerves: Olfactory, Optic, Oculormotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abduceans, Facial, Auditory, Glosspharyngeal, Vagus, Accessory, Hypoglossal make "On Old Olympus Towering Tops A Foolish Austrian Grew Vines and Hops."
Acronym
Make a word using the first letter from each word that needs to be remembered. This one only works when the list is fairly short and when the order of the words can be shifted.
Example:
The Moral Attributes of God: Eternal, Unchanging, Perfect, Infinite, Incomprehensible, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent, can be combined to read "I3OU-PIE" or (I owe you a piece of pie).
Grouping
When you have a lot of material to be memorized, break it down into small subgroups. These subgroups should be divided into meaningful parts. If the groups are complete ideas, you'll remember them better.
Example:
If you need to memorize a Bible verse like Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart," try breaking it up into meaningful parts.
For the word of God is
living and active
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints
and marrow
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
