Improving Memory
Strategies for Improving memory
a. Cues
b. Mnemonics and mind maps
3939486377
264648483 468378439
738743825
7746229 333328
746665644225 5667
Eye witness
Cognitive interview
retrieval
Primacy effect
Phonological loop
Strategies for memory
Improvement
BATs
AO1 -Describe and use various strategies
for improving memory (organisation,
mnemonics, imagery, active processing)
AO2 - Understand how such strategies are
related to memory research
ROP interviews today!
Strategies for memory
Improvement
You need to learn at least 2 strategies for
improving memory.
We will focus on the following – these are in
your text book and revision guide
a. Cues
b. Mnemonics and mind maps
Try an experiment
Get into groups
of 5
(1 group of 6)
1 experimenter
2 ppts in each
condition
Learning word lists
• At rest or during exercise
• Whilst Chewing gum or not chewing gum
• In different rooms
Procedure :Learn word list for 11/2 minutes
Group 1
• Recall list a. immediately, b. after a delay (24
hrs ideally) in same condition
Group 2: Recall list a. immediately, b. after a delay
(24 hrs ideally) in different condition
Try an experiment
Get into groups
of 4
Each group will
do a different
condition
Learning word lists
• Whilst Chewing gum or not chewing gum
Procedure :Learn word list for 11/2 minutes
Groups 1 and 3
• Recall list a. immediately, b. after a delay
(24 hrs ideally) in same condition
Group 2 and 4 : Recall list a. immediately, b.
after a delay (24 hrs ideally) in different
condition
Analysing Data
Number
of words
correct
mean
Condition
1
Condition
2
Condition
3
Condition
4
Chew, chew
Chew, no chew
No chew, no
chew
No chew, chew
Use of Cues
Cues act as a trigger to help recall
memory.
• Context – Abernethy (1940),
• Baker et al (2004) Chewing gum expt,
• Godden and Baddeley (75),
• Mead and Ball (2007)
Use of Cues
Cues act as a trigger to help recall
memory.
• State –dependency –
• Miles and Hardman (98),
• Goodwin (69) Alcohol and keys
• Bower et al (81) - mood
Using cues
To improve recall ..
• Context and state cues need to be as
similar as possible to the original learning
situation.
• So to perform best in exams…
• Context – revise with a mascot or favourite
pen
• State – stay calm whilst revising and
during exam (easier said than done!!)
Use of Cues
Elaboration – elaborative rehearsal is
more effective than maintenance rehearsal
as the info becomes meaningful and is
encoded in a way that suits LTM
e.g. Morris et al (81) – football fans have
better recall of scores
Organisation – using categories – Tulving
and Pearlstone (66)
Now try this …
• 2 groups
• Group 1 will learn list 1 for 11/2 minutes
• Group 2 will learn list 2 for 11/2 minutes
Organisation Tulving and Pearlestone (66)
Pear
Clarinet
Hail
Rain
Rose
Hand
Iron
Gold
Harp
Piano
Metal
Apple
Body
Fruit
instruments
Daffodil
Plum
Nose
Weather
Copper
Flowers
Brass
Foot
Tulips
Pansy
Sleet
Orange
Toe
Snow
Flute
Fruit
Apple
Pear
Plum
Orange
Weather
Snow
Rain
Sleet
Hail
Flowers
Daffodil
Rose
Pansy
Tulip
Instruments
Harp
Piano
Flute
Clarinet
Body
Nose
Foot
Toe
Hand
Metal
Brass
Gold
Copper
iron
Analysis
• Where more words remembered in the
categorised or random list condition?
• Work out the mean, median and mode for
this data (measures of central tendency).
• How varied was the data? What was the
range in each condition? (Measure of
dispersion)
• Draw a simple bar chart for this and the
chewing gum experiment.
Plenary – extension work
• Look back at the studies on p25-27 – for
each state …
• Aim
• IV/DV
• Research design (Independent Groups or
repeated measures)
• Any validity and ethical issues?
Verbal Mnemonics
Acronyms E.g
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
Good when remembering the order
of something
Verbal Mnemonics
Rhymes E.g
• i before e except after c
• 30 days hath September …..
Also good when remembering
the order of something
Visual Imagery Mnemonics
• Method of Loci – items put in
locations in a familiar place
Good for
visual
learners!
Visual Imagery Mnemonics
Narrative Chaining – story made
up using items to be remembered
Good for
verbal
learners!
Visual Imagery Mnemonics
Key word technique –
1. Acoustic stage
2. Visual stage
3. Rehearsal stage
E.g baguette – french stick in a bag
Very good when learning
another language
Visual Imagery Mnemonics
Peg-word system - visualisation
•
•
•
•
•
One-bun
Two-shoe
Three – tree ….
See p28/9 Exploring Psychology
Good for shopping lists
Visual Imagery Mnemonics
Mind maps
An example of elaborative
rehearsal
Giving each page of
revision notes an
unique, distinctive
visual appearance
Plenary
• Evaluate as a group the strengths and
weaknesses of each Memory
Improvement Strategy
• You could construct a table to fill in your
responses
Last lesson on memory!!
Starter
• Create a new mnemonic for Year 7 to
learn the order of the planets now Pluto is
no longer a planet!!
Watch the film clip
• What Memory Improvement technique is
used by Andy and Prof Winstone?
Method
of Loci
Now try the strategies yourself!!
• Use one of the techniques you have
learned today to learn as much as you can
about a new topic.
• You must learn the article ‘Secret of exam
success? Rosy memories’ on p27 of
Exploring Psychology
• You will be tested later!!!
Rosy Memories Test
1. What 2 powers of recall are often improved by a
good night’s sleep?
2. Name the professor?
3. How did subjects receive the smell of roses?
4. What memory task did the subjects do?
5. Name the Clinic where the brain scanner was.
6. Which part of the brain did the roses activate?
7. What percentage of words were remembered
correctly by the no odour subjects?
8. Which establishment does Matthew Wilson come
from?
9. Name the journal the neuroscientists reported
their study in?
10. During which part of sleep was the smell given?
Rosy Memories Test
1.
What 2 powers of recall are often improved by a good night’s sleep?
Shopping lists and dance routines
2. Name the professor? Prof Born
3. How did subjects receive the smell of roses? Through a nasal mask
4. What memory task did the subjects do?
Remembering the location of pairs of cards
5. Name the Clinic where the brain scanner was.
University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf
6. Which part of the brain did the roses activate? Hippocampus
7. What percentage of words were remembered correctly by the no odour subjects?
86%
8. Which establishment does Matthew Wilson come from?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9. Name the journal the neuroscientists reported their study in? Science
10. During which part of sleep was the smell given? Slow wave Sleep
Which Technique was most
Effective?
Technique
Narrative chaining
Method of Loci
Categorisation
Mind map
Score
mean
Homework
Good luck!!!
• What have I learnt this week?
• Revision – use at least one of the
techniques you learnt about today to help
you revise for a mock exam after half
term (Periods 1 and 2)
• No books will be allowed!!!!
• Exam will be up to 1.5 hours long!!
• Both SJ and RN’s topics included!!!