What is a Mnemonic Device ?
 

 

 


- A mnemonic is device that allows for classification, organization, storage and recollection of information into and out of long-term memory. 

- Since the items in one’s long term memory are maintained longer the better they are organized, mnemonic devices insure that the memorizer is paying attention to the material

- A great thing about mnemonic devices is that they make for simple retrieval of information: the mnemonic tells us “where to look in our long-term memory”.

- People tend to remember the unusual, the funny and/or the personal ones the best

- Some drawbacks of mnemonics are that they do not necessarily help a person understand the material to be remembered, they may be time consuming to create and/or learn, and only certain types of mnemonic devices apply to certain situations.

 

 

Types of Mnemonic Devices

 

Acronyms –The most common everyday use of mnemonics.  The first letter from each word is taken to spell out a simple word or phrase.  A very familiar example of this is the acronym for the University of Waterloo, UW.

 

Acrostic – An invented sentence where the first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember. Often seen in the teaching of music: Every good boy deserves fudge, represents the lines in the treble clef.

 

Grouping – Classifies lists on the basis of some common characteristics. The key to this method is to remember the key element that links all of the items, for instance, fruit vs. vegetable.

 

Method of Loci – Places the items you want to remember in a visualized room or route that is familiar and items get “picked up” as you mentally walk through the room or route. This method is especially useful for speeches or when item order is important.

 

Rhymes – Placing the facts to be memorized into a rhyme or poetry form. Often used for teaching, especially the English alphabet.

 

Visual association – Involves linking two ideas using images. Allows you to remember sequences of unrelated items in the appropriate order. The most common is the PEG system, where unrelated terms are associated with Peg words.