NINE WAYS TO AID YOUR MEMORY

It is more natural to forget something than to remember it. If you intend to remember
something, apply as many of the following techniques as possible.

1. Be flexible. Experiment with many learning procedures. Be willing to abandon

outmoded and faulty learning procedures so you will be free to acquire new and more
efficient methods.

2. Overlearn. In order to retain anything learned, you must practice and reorganize it
into your current ongoing activity. One way to do this is to incorporate the learned
material as part of your present habit system. Use it in speaking and writing. Act out
the material as a rehearsal of a part in a play-a process known as role-playing. This is
especially helpful in learning a foreign language.

3. Schedule. Schedule your study time so that the time at which something is learned
or relearned is close to the time at which it will be used.

4. Rephrase and explain. Try a little role-playing. Take the point of view of the
teacher, for a change. Rephrase and explain the material, in your own words, to a
classmate. Allow your classmate to criticize your presentation. Then let the classmate
be the teacher, while you criticize. If you can't explain something, you don't really
know it.

Many students adopt the so-called warm-body attitude toward learning. A "warm" feeling
toward one particular answer becomes the basis for its selection, regardless of whether
one really knows why the answer is correct. This attitude is the result of classroom
examining procedures in which true-false and multiple-choice items are used exclusively
for testing. Testing in this manner encourages the attitude that mere recognition of the
most probable answer constitutes learning.

Even though a particular course may not require adequate recall by using more
penetrating recall-type questions, don't allow yourself to fall into this warm-body learning
trap. Insist on testing yourself! If you can explain the material, most certainly you can
pass any "objective" test calling for superficial recognition. However, the reverse is most
certainly not true. Learning only to a point of recognition, and depending on your ability
to ferret out the correct response, is insufficient for total-recall kinds of tests. Sooner or
later this habit will result in total failure in a demanding test situation.

5. Eliminate accidental and unrelated associations. A study situation in which a

phone is constantly jangling produces breaks in the mental association process.
Remove the receiver. The only suggestion that can be made for the elimination of
television during the study period is to donate the set to a family that is not involved in
higher education.

6. Eliminate previous mistakes. Take note of all previous mistakes and make every
effort to eliminate them from future practice. It has been shown experimentally that
consciously reviewing mistakes, making note of exactly why they were incorrect, helps
to reinforce the correct response. This process is sometimes referred to as negative
practice.

7. Decide on an order of importance. Some things are more important than others. In
a particular study unit, decide what these are and organize the important material into
an outline or framework. "Over-learn" this particular framework.

8. Become emotionally involved. Assume the attitude that you fully believe the
viewpoint of the author. Strive for perfection. You may never achieve it, but you will
most certainly improve your performance. Learn to discuss your current beliefs calmly
with people holding different attitudes. Cite authorities to back up your position.

9. Use mechanical memory aids. When material is complicated, it may be necessary to

use mechanical memory aids. For example, suppose you had reason to believe that a
certain table showing all of the endocrine glands of the body with their secretions and
functions would be called for in an examination. In order to be sure that you would be
able to recall all of the glands, you memorized the first letter or syllable of each gland,
and organized them into three very strange words: Anpothy Paramed Adcorpan, the
 novelty of which aided recall. This could be deciphered as follows: An=anterior
pituitary, po=posterior pituitary, thy=thyroid, par=parathyroid, amed=adrenal
medulla, adcor=adrenal cortex, pan=pancreas, etc.

©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001