288 ChaPteR 8 Memory
Well, then, what does work? In Chapter 1,
we introduced you to four useful strategies for
learning (see page 8). These strategies are based
on well-established principles of memory that
help us encode and store information so that
it sticks in our minds and will be there when
we need it. Let’s look more closely at those
principles.Effective Encoding
Our memories, as we have seen, are not exact
replicas of experience. Sensory information is
summarized and encoded as words or images
almost as soon as it is detected. When you hear
a lecture you may hang on every word (we
hope you do), but you do not memorize those
words verbatim. You extract the main points and
encode them.
To remember information well, you have
to encode it accurately in the first place. With
some kinds of information, accurate encoding
takes place automatically, without effort. Think
about where you usually sit in your psychol-
ogy class. When were you last there? You can
probably provide this information easily, even
though you never made a deliberate effort to
encode it. But many kinds of information require
effortful encoding: the plot of a novel, the proce-
dures for assembling a cabinet, the arguments
for and against a proposed law. To retain such
information, you might have to select the main
points, label concepts, or associate the informa-
tion with personal experiences or with material
you already know. Experienced students know
that most of the information in a college course
requires effortful encoding, otherwise known as
studying. The mind does not gobble up complex
information automatically; you must make the
material digestible.Rehearsal
An important technique for keeping information
in short-term memory and increasing the chances
of long-term retention is rehearsal, the review
or practice of material while you are learning it.
When people are prevented from rehearsing, the
contents of their short-term memories quickly
fade (Peterson & Peterson, 1959). You are taking
advantage of rehearsal when you look up a phone
number and then repeat it over and over to keep
it in short-term memory until you no longer need
it. And when you can’t remember a phone number
because you have always used your contact list toYou are about to learn...
• why memory tricks, although fun, are not always
useful.
• how memory can be improved, and why rote
methods are not the best strategy.how We Remember LO 8.16
Mnemonics
In everyday life, people who want to give their
powers of memory a boost sometimes use
mnemonics [neh-MON-iks], formal strategies
and tricks for encoding, storing, and retain-
ing information. (Mnemosyne, pronounced neh-
MOZ-eh-nee, was the ancient Greek goddess
of memory.) Some mnemonics take the form
of easily memorized rhymes (e.g., “Thirty days
hath September/April, June, and November... ”).
Others use formulas (e.g., “Every good boy does
fine” for remembering which notes are on the
lines of the treble clef in musical notation).
Still others use visual images or word associa-
tions. Mnemonics may also reduce the amount of
information by chunking it, which is why many
companies use words for their phone numbers
instead of unmemorable numbers.
Some stage performers with amazing recall rely
on far more complicated mnemonics. But for ordi-
nary memory tasks, such tricks are often no more
effective than rote repetition, and sometimes they
make matters worse (Wang, Thomas, & Ouellette,
1992). Besides, why use a fancy mnemonic to
remember a grocery list when you can write down
what you need to buy?Mnemonics
and tricks for improving
memory, such as the use
of a verse or a formula.
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