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 Cognitive Psychology
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 Memory Systems
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 Long-term Memory
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 Cognitive
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 Metacognition
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 Verbal
Mnemonics
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 Visual
Mnemonics
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 Mental Shortcuts
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 Social Perception
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 Psychogenic Illness
 Schemas
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 Psychology of
Terrorism
 Terror Management
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 Trend
 Theory of Mind (ToM)

MNEMONIC
Mnemonic Strategies: Overview

Mnemonic strategies are special mental tricks that were developed thousands of years ago as
memory aids that ties to-be-remembered information to something familiar (Yates, 1966).

Mnemonic strategies have potential to make past information more memorable and easily
retrievable. The word mnemonic is an adjective Opens in new window derived from the Greek
words mnemon and mnastbia, meaning, respectively, “mindful” and “to remember” (Webster’s,
1980).

Mnemonics can take several forms. We can use acronyms, for example, such as HOMES to
remember the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior)
and phrases Opens in new window, such as “Every good boy does fine,” to remember the names
of the notes in the treble clef (E, G, B, D, and F). When learners think of the mnemonic, they link
it to the information it represents, which aids the recall of information.
Mnemonic Description Example

Visually linking items in a

list into a series of
1. Link method Opens A student visualizes homework stuck in
overlapping images in a
in new a notebook, which is bound to his/her textbook,
chain (may be used as an
window (interactive pencil, and pen with a rubber band to remember
alternative to the peg-word
imagery) to take the (italicized) items to class
mnemonic Opens in new
window)

Associating a list of items

with a sequence of fixed
Student wanting to remember the first five
2. Method of physical locations in
elements of the periodic table visualizes
Loci Opens in new familiar environments, such
hydrogen at the chair, helium at the sofa, lithium
window as the chair, sofa, lamp, end
at the lamp, etc
table, and footstool, in a
living room

3. First letter Creating a word out of the A student creates the word Wajmma to remember
method Opens in new first letters of the items to the first six presidents in order: Washington,
window be remembered Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Adams

Memorizing a series of
4. Pegword “pegs”—such as “one is
System Opens in new bun” and “two is shoe”—on
window (hook) strategy which to-be-remembered
information is hung
A person wanting to get pickles and carrots at the
grocery store visualizes a pickle in a bun and a
carrot stuck in a shoe

5. Keyword Assigning imagery and A learner remembers that trigo, which rhymes
method Opens in new rhyming words to with tree, is the Spanish word for wheat by
window remember unfamiliar words visualizing a sheaf of wheat sticking out of a tree
Mnemonics are very helpful to remember vocabulary, names, rules, lists, and other kinds of
factual knowledge. The following table provides some additional examples.

Mnemonics link knowledge to be learned to familiar information, and they have been proven
effective in a variety of content areas with learners ranging from children to older adults.
Through the use of mnemonic techniques some spectacular results in recall performance have
been obtained (Bellezza, 1981).
Bower and Clark (1969), for example, found 93 percent recall in a mnemonic group, compared
to 13 percent in a control group. Ericsson, Chase and Faloon (1980), worked with a college
student of average intelligence and memory ability whose memory span after 230 hours of
practice increased from 7 to 79 digits. His performance on memory tests of digits equaled that of
memory experts with life-long training. The authors concluded that, with an
appropriate mnemonic system, retrieval method and practice there is seemingly no limit to
memory skills.

Mnemonics are relatively easy to use and have lots of practical applications—in fact, virtually all
how-to memory books rely entirely on these techniques. Professional memorizers, including
those who compete in national and international memory contests (the memory “Olympics”), all
use versions of these techniques (Foer, 2011).