Nine Types of Mnemonics for Better Memory

Mnemonics are memory devices t at elp learners recall larer pieces o inormation, especially in t e orm o lists like c aracteristics, steps, staes, parts, p ases, etc.

Many types o mnemonics exist and w ic type works best is limited only by t e imaination o eac individual learner. Nine basic types o mnemonics presented in t is andout include: music, name, model, expression/word, ode/r yme, note oranization, connection, imae, and spellin.

Music Mnemonics How many lyrics to sons do you remember? How did you come to remember t em? T e same met od you used to recall son lyrics also can work just as well in academics. Advertisin on radio and TV uses music to elp potential customers remember t eir products w en s oppin. Wit suicient repetition o commercials, advertisers ave discovered t at w en s oppers see t eir product in t e stores t at oten t e s opper will start recitin an ot repeated p rase rom t e commercial or start sinin t e lyrics to t e promotion melody. T e result as been increased sales o t e product.

You can make a son or jinle usin any type o music you c oose or any list o items. Music Mnemonics work best wit lon lists. For example, some c ildren learn t e ABCs by sinin t e ABC son. Ot er c ildren learn all t e states in alp abetical order usin t e 50 Nity United States son.

Name Mnemonics In a Name Mnemonic, t e irst letter o eac word in a list o items is used to make a name o a person or t in. T e items can be rearraned to orm somet in more memorable.

Examples include: Roy G. Biv = colors o t e spectrum (Red, Orane, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indio, Violet)

Pvt. Tim Hall = essential amino acids (P enylanine, Valine, T reonine, Tryptop an, Isolucine, Histidine, Arinine, Leucine, Lysine)

Model Mnemonics In a Model Mnemonic, some type o representation is constructed to elp wit understandin and recallin important inormation.

Examples include a circular sequence model, a pyramid model o staes, a pie c art, and a 5- box sequence. Models s ould be used in addition to words and lists because t ey make recall at test time muc easier. Wit a lare model suc as t e Krebs Cycle, it is easier to learn and remember i it is divided into quarters and learned one quarter at a time.

pdx.edu/learning-center • [email protected] • Millar Library, 2nd Floor • 503-725-4448 Expression/Word Mnemonics T is is by ar t e most popularly used mnemonic. To make an Expression/Word Mnemonic, arrane t e irst letter o eac item into a word or p rase.

For p ysical laws dealin wit asses, try t ese: C arles Law = or a constant volume, pressure is directly proportional to temperature. T e simple way to remember C uck is i t e tank's too ot, you're blown to muck.

Boyles Law = at constant temperature, pressure is inversely proportional to volume. Boyle's Law is best o all because it presses asses awully small.

T is mnemonic can elp wit rememberin t ins in order: T e order o operations or mat is Parent eses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract (in t at order) = Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

For t ose w o ave to remember t e order o color codin on electronic resistors: Black, Blue, Red, Orane, Yellow, Green, Brown, Violet, Gray, W ite, Silver, Gold = Bad Beer Rots Our Youn Guts But Vodka Goes Well (in) Silver Goblets.

Ot er examples include: T e 7 coordinatin conjunctions in Enlis are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So = FANBOYS.

T e ei t small bones in t e wrist: Scap oid, Lunate, Triquetrum, Pisiorm, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate = Sally Let T e Party To Take Cat y Home.

Ode/R yme Mnemonics An Ode/R yme Mnemonic puts inormation in t e orm o a poem.

A commonly used R yme Mnemonic or t e number o days in eac mont is: 30 days at September, April, June, and November. All t e rest ave 31 except February, my dear son. It as 28 days and t at is ine, but in leap year it as 29.

Youd probably preer your doctor to know t e dierence between cyanate and cyanide: Cyanate "I ate" and Cyanide "I died." (Cyanide is atal.)

How is your spellin? "I" beore "E" except ater "C.

An easy way to remember t e 12 cranial nerves (in order): Olactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Troc lear, Trieminal, Abducens, Facial, Vestibulococ lear, Glossop aryneal, Vaus, Accessory, Hypolossal = On old Olympus towerin top, a riendly vikin rew vines and ops.

pdx.edu/learning-center • [email protected] • Millar Library, 2nd Floor • 503-725-4448 Note Oranization Mnemonics T e way textbook and lecture notes are oranized can in ibit learnin and recall or promote it. In t e sense t at t e oranization o notes can promote recall, it is a memory device.

Notecards Notecards are an easy way to oranize main ideas and relevant details to be recalled. I main ideas are ormatted into possible test questions, notecards can ive learners practice in seein questions and recallin answers as t ey must do on exams.

Outlines Outlines clearly separate main ideas rom details. T is elps oranize t e inormation in t e mind makin it easier to remember. See below:

I. PIAGETS THEORY A. Four staes 1. Sensorimotor 2. Pre-operational 3. Concrete Operational 4. Formal Operational B. Deinition o eac stae 1. Sensorimotor means... etc.

T e Cornell System A vertical line is drawn 3 inc es rom t e let marin o a piece o notebook paper. Main ideas or questions are placed to t e let o t e line, and details or answers are placed to t e ri t.

Connection Mnemonics In t is type o mnemonic, t e inormation to be remembered is connected to somet in already known.

Rememberin t e direction o lonitude and latitude lines on a lobe is easier to do once you realize t at t e lines runnin Nort and Sout are lon, and t at coincides wit t e word lon in lon-itude. Anot er connection mnemonic points out t at t ere is an N in loNitude as well as an N in Nort . T ere is no N in latitude, so you can remember t at latitude lines run East to West.

Yet anot er connection mnemonic is related to sound. T e irst part o t e word latitude sounds like lat. Flat runs orizontally, or East to West.

pdx.edu/learning-center • [email protected] • Millar Library, 2nd Floor • 503-725-4448 Imae Mnemonics T e inormation in an Imae Mnemonic is constructed in t e orm o a picture t at promotes t e recall o inormation w en you need it. T e sillier it is, t e easier it is to recall. T ese imaes may be mental or sketc ed onto lecture notes. Dont worry about your artistic ability. As lon as you know w at your sketc means, imae mnemonics will elp you learn and remember.

A Bactrian camels back is s aped like t e letter B. A Dromedarys back is s aped like t e letter D.

Species o salmon can be remembered t rou t e iners on t e and: C um is t e t umb, Sockeye is your index iner (like pokin someone in t e eye), Kin is your middle iner (t e larest o t e iners), Silver is your rin iner, Pink is t e pinky iner.

DOC represents p ases o t e moon by s ape, as viewed rom t e nort ern emisp ere: D is t e waxin moon, O t e ull moon, and C represents t e wanin moon.

In t e Sout ern Hemisp ere, t e moon p ases appear in reverse, spellin COD: C is t e waxin moon, O t e ull moon, and D t e wanin moon.

Spellin Mnemonics Here is an example o a spellin mnemonic: A principal at a sc ool is your pal, and a principle you believe or ollow is a rule.

Anot er example deals wit t e problems some learners ave rememberin t at t ere is an A in t e middle o separate and not an E. A spellin mnemonic combined wit an imae mnemonic uses an exaerated A to spell t e word sepArate.

To spell Mississippi, combine a r yt m mnemonic wit a spellin mnemonic: M-iss-iss-ipp-i.

Anot er commonly used spellin mnemonic is combined wit an r yme mnemonic: "I" beore "E" except ater "C" or w en soundin like "A" in nei bor and wei .

Georap y = Geore Edwards Old Grandma Rode A Pi Home Yesterday.

Arit metic = A Rat In T e House May Eat T e Ice Cream.

Saskatc ewan = Ask At C ew An wit an S in ront o it. sep rate

Oriinally created by Dennis Conos, University o Central Florida

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