Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello,
I am doing a project that is involved with memory with a partner. We both are trying to find other memorization methods for like a long list of things or a test that requires us to memorize things. We both found some methods but I was wondering if there are other better methods that can help us memorize things better. Thank you for reading and help us.

Hi guys,

Sounds like a useful project as memorizing is something we all have to do on occasion. I guess it depends partly on how many things you are trying to memorize and what they are. To memorize a fairly short list of 6 or 7 things I take the first letter of each thing and make a sentence with words beginning with those letters. The sentence has to be readable and rememberable and you still have to remember exactly what the word is that begins with the given letter, but it is always easier when you have the start. Maybe if you could select words that have the first two letters of the word you are trying to remember it would be easier.

I'm a word person so tend to use words to remember other words, but many people have visual memories apparently and they remember things by replaying a 'video' in their minds and just reading off the things that the images stand for. I think that is really cool and I wish I could do it. I found one website that uses a visual method with image linking to remember a list and you might try that if you haven't already: http://www.memorizeeverything.com/core_skills/lists/

Here's another system that uses imagery and numbers as cues for remembering--kinda weird but maybe it works for them:
http://www.happychild.org.uk/acc/tpr/mem/0598tnit.htm

Hope the other experts will chime in with their favorite tricks for memorizing stuff.

There's always good old repetition--I can remember several passwords just because I use them over and over again every day, not because I associate them with a sentence, or mnemonic or number. Most passwords that I use only occasionally I will have to look up. Coming up with a way to memorize passwords that would always work would certainly be useful so when you discover that, please let us all know!

Good luck,

Sybee