VCE Psychology Units 3 & 4 Chapter 8: Manipulation & improvement of memory

Mnemonic devices

Mnemonic devices
Mnemonic devices are techniques for enhancing or improving memory. Mnemonic devices make use of memory already stored in LTM. The devices do not simplify information, they actually make it more elaborate. What does this mean?

Source: Image Source

Mnemonic devices
Psychologists have identified five different mnemonic devices:

acronyms MNEMONIC DEVICES

method of loci

acrostics peg-word method

narrative chaining

Acronyms
Acronyms are pronounceable words formed from the first letters of a sequence of words. The acronym doesnt have to be a real word e.g. it is often a pronounceable abbreviation. The letters of the abbreviation act as a retrieval aid in the recall of more complex material.

What is the acronym commonly used to remember the colours of the rainbow?

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Acronyms
Examples of acronyms include:

ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)

AWOL (Absent WithOut Leave) AFL (Australian Football League) Come up with three more acronyms.
Source: istockphoto/Mark Kolbe

Acrostics
Acrostics involve making verbal associations for items to be remembered by constructing phrases or sentences using the first letters of the information to be remembered. Acrostics are also known as the first-letter technique.

Source: Macmillan South Africa

Every good boy deserves fruit.

Acrostics

Physical exercise Identify the word each of the following acrostics are
helping you spell

big elephants cannot always use small exits

because

does every cat in Melbourne attract lice?

decimal

teachers and ugly giants hate tickling

taught

wombat hair is combed high

which

Peg-word method
The peg-word method consists of memorising a rhyme or jingle that has mental pegs or markers on which you hang the items to be remembered. The rhyming words, in turn, will be retrieval cues (the peg words) for information you wish to remember. You must associate the information to be remembered with the rhyme by using visualisation. Explain how visualising the items above could help someone recall a grocery list.

Narrative chaining
Narrative chaining involves linking otherwise unrelated items to one another (chaining) to form a meaningful sequence or story (narrative). Construct a narrative that would help you remember the following items:
bananas birthday card ice-cream pizza

Source: Getty

Narrative chaining
The effectiveness of narrative chaining was studied by Bower & Clark in 1969.

Describe the method used in this experiment and its results.

Do the results of the study provide evidence that narrative chaining is an effective mnemonic device?

Method of loci
The method of loci uses a well-learned sequence of locations (e.g. your house) as a series of retrieval cues for the information to be recalled. The number of locations in the sequence should correspond with the number of items of information to be remembered.

It is necessary to associate a visual image of each item to be remembered with a location in the sequence.

Source: Macmillan South Africa

Comparing mnemonic devices

Describe how you would remember the shopping list on the next slide using each of the five mnemonic devices: acronyms acrostics peg-word method narrative chaining method of loci

Comparing mnemonic devices

How would you remember this shopping list?

milk sausages peas flour oranges cheese apple yoghurt

steak sugar

Source: Up the Resolution

Quick quiz
Question 1: What are mnemonic devices? Answer: Techniques for enhancing or improving memory. Question 2: What are acronyms? Answer: Pronounceable words formed from the first letters of a sequence of words. Question 3: Acrostics are also known as the first-letter technique. True or false? Answer: True. Question 4: AWOL (Absent WithOut Leave) is an example of an acrostic. True or false? Answer: False, it is an example of an acronym. Question 5: Both the peg-word method and method of loci involve using visualisation. True or false? Answer: True. Question 6: When using the peg-word method, the ________ become the retrieval cues for information you wish to remember. Answer: Rhyming words (or jingle). Question 7: A limitation of narrative chaining is that there is no research evidence to support it. True or false? Answer: False.