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September 19, 2006

Memory

How do we retain the capacity to remember all the zillion little things that in our day to day living we have to remember?

I know there are different little tools that some people use just to remember the big stuff like the techniques found here.
"You form acronyms by using each first letter from a group of words to form a new word. This is particularly useful when remembering words in a specified order. Acronyms are very common in ordinary language and in many fields. Some examples of common acronyms include NBA (National Basketball Associations), SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), BTUs (British Thermal Units), and LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). What other common acronyms can you think of? The memory techniques in this section, for example, can be rearranged to form the acronym "SCRAM" (Sentences/acrostics, Chunking, Rhymes & songs, Acronyms, and Method of loci)."
The number/rhyme tools found here seem a little more complicated but a good aid in remembering lists.
"The Number/Rhyme technique is a very effective method of remembering lists. It works by 'pegging' the things to be remembered to images rhyming with the numbers 0 - 9. By driving the associations with numbers you have a good starting point in reconstructing the images, you are aware if information is missing, and you can pick up and continue the sequence from anywhere within the list."
Or here:
"What is memory? | Does memory naturally decline with age? If so, why? | How do thoughts and emotions affect memory? | What are some ways I can improve my memory? | Can I exercise my brain the way I exercise my body? | What role does diet play in memory enhancement? | What are some other tools and techniques I can use to help me remember?"
Personally, the good ol' string on a finger works for me! I don't have much to remember, and I try not to have to think too much. Hey, who took my string?!!

2 comments:

Frank Sirmarco said...

I find that I destroyed my short-term memory in the 1990's.

I find that I destroyed...Oh wait, I forgot that I wrote that already.

Anonymous said...

The string on the finger is great for short-term memory loss, Frank! Works for me. Just have to remember where I left the string each time.