Chapter 8
Memory
The Key to the Secret of Memory
Retrieval means finding information
stored in memory and making it
conscious so it can be used.
The key to successful recall is to learn
the material the right way.
Prepare: Remember the
Right Information
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Look at the big picture
Don’t get lost in the details
Organize
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Relate New Material to What You Already
Know
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Personalize information
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Organize information by place
Memory Exercise
Prepare yourself now for an exercise. Watch
carefully and try to remember each word that
you see appear on the screen.
Organize Your Memory
Try to Remember….
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Girl
Heart
Robin
Purple
Finger
Flute
Blue
Piano
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Organ
Man
Hawk
Green
Lung
Eagle
Child
Now take a piece of paper and
write down as many words as
you can remember
Turn over your list and watch the
following words closely
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Green
Blue
Purple
Man
Girl
Child
Piano
Flute
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Organ
Heart
Lung
Finger
Eagle
Hawk
Robin
Write down as many words as you
can remember
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Both lists are identical
Did you remember more the second time?
Why?
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The answer is because you organized the words
into groups that had something in common. The
way you group your information affects your
ability to remember it.
Work: Using Proven Strategies to
Memorize New Material
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Rehearsal
Mnemonics (neh MON ix)
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Acronyms
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Acrostics
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Phrases formed by first letter
P.O.W.E.R. is an acronym
Sentence in which first letters are reminders
Rhymes and jingles
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Thirty days hath September, April, June and November
Recalling Sequences and Lists
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Method of loci (low-sigh)-Ancient Greek orators used
this method
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Latin for “places”
Information is divided into sequences
Information can be partitioned like rooms of a house
Peg Method: a series of keywords tied to numbers to
help you recall numeric information
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Example: “one-two, buckle my shoe” / “three-four, shut the
door”
Recalling Sequences and Lists
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Involve multiple senses to help you memorize
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Write it down
Think out loud
Draw or diagram
Visualize
Think positively
Overlearning consists of studying
and rehearsing material past the
point of initial mastery: like learning
the multiplication tables
Evaluate
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Use Review questions and tests to test your
recall
Take a practice test
Study with a friend
Rethink: Consolidate Memories
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The physical links between brain cells that
represent memory in the brain need TIME to
become fixed and stable
Cramming is not a good idea-memory will not
last
Memory Exercise
Pay attention to the next several slides
Try to remember as many of them as possible
Write down as many pictures as
you can remember
Chunking-Grouping Pictures
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Did you remember to organize the pictures in
groups?
What about these groups?
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Transportation
Seasons of the Year
Animals
Famous Buildings
How Did you Do?
Check your list as we review
the pictures
Transportation
Bus
Subway
Train
Horse and Carriage
Seasons of the Year
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Animals
Monkey
Crocodile
Dolphin
Leopard
Famous Buildings
Statue of
Liberty
Lincoln Memorial
Twin Towers
White House
Evaluate
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Test Your Recall of New Information
Review Questions
Test Yourself
Rethink
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Memory Consolidation
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Physical links between brain cells that represent
memory in the brain need time to become fixed
and stable
Explains reason why information is not suddenly
and permanently established in memory the first
time
Process may take days or even years
P.O.W.E.R. Plan
PREPARE
Determine what you
need to remember
ORGANIZE
Relate new material to
what you already know
WORK
Use proven strategies to
memorize new material
EVALUATE
Test your recall
of new information
RETHINK
Consolidate memories
through repeated review
Career Connections
Recalling names of those with whom you
work, recalling names of professional
colleagues from other companies, and
recalling names of clients is very important.
Resources
Improving Your Memory (Johns
Hopkins 2005)
The Memory Doctor by Douglas Mason
and Spencer Smith (New Harbinger
Publications, 2005)