Your local library probably has several books on improving memory.
Some common techniques include using rhymes, acronyms, acrostics, repetition, linking, story creation, or creation of bizarre or unusual mental pictures.
Research a particular mnemonic system.
Find some material to remember and devise a mnemonic device for the list.
Memory is a function, but it is also a skill you can develop.
Natural mnemonic devices can help you do that.
Research some popular mnemonic devices, such as these two phrases for remembering the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet): "Roy G.
Biv" or "Richard of York Gains Battles in Vain.
" 7 +/- 2--the magic memory number!
The human mind can remember seven (give or take 2) "chunks" of information, whether single digits or pieces of data.
Pair up with a partner.
Create a list of ten grocery items and read them slowly to your partner.
How many can your partner remember?
Take turns with different lists and record the results on a graph.
Try your experiment with different age groups.
We often learn skills slowly, by repetition, until they become a habit.
"Unlearning" habits can be hard, as this exercise will show.
In a group, have one person dictate a paragraph of very short sentences as fast as possible.
The rest of the group should write down the sentences as fast as they can, without using capital letters or periods.
Were the writers able to break the habit of punctuating?
Try this experiment on young people and on adults.
Do you notice a difference in their ability to break these habits?