Associate — link with what you already know#

Before we start, here is a simple exercise. Imagine for a moment a green cat, the size of a car, rollerblading over the Golden Gate Bridge. Seriously. Stop reading, close your eyes, and see that image in your mind’s eye. Do this for thirty seconds. We’ll come back to this exercise in a moment.

Previously you saw that memory is a network of neurons. The brain learns by associating new information with existing information. It adds new networks to existing networks of neurons. We can use this knowledge to our advantage via “association” techniques. Let’s look at another exercise to highlight this.

Do the creative association exercise (in the appendix in the book).

If you have just tried the exercise, you may notice it’s easier to remember the list of fifteen items when we tied them together in a story. We associated each item in the list with the previous one. We also associated each item with some activities we are already familiar with, even if they don’t always make sense.

This is a simple example of association at work. Association helps you quickly memorize a wide range of information, including lists, checklists, procedures, facts, formulas, numerical data and more. While it may sometimes take some effort to create the association, the benefit is longer retention.

In this section I discuss association techniques. We start out by covering some general principles of association, as well as some basic association techniques you may already be familiar with. We then cover linked lists, peg words and peg events. Lastly, we discuss two Method of Loci techniques.

Many of the heavily marketed, and expensive, memory systems use association. If you are considering buying one of these courses, check to see they are not just the same techniques in different packaging.

General Association Principles #

How the brain uses association by expanding existing neural networks, including relationships, structures, hierarchies, and categories.
What attributes of memories help longer retention, such as the senses, emotions, situations, categorization, exaggeration and combinations. This could include using vision, sound smell, touch, taste, symbols, movement, location, comedy, absurdity, offensive situations, rude situations, amplification, reduction, ordering and numbering. Which emotions to avoid, such as sadness and anger, and why.
The steps you normally follow when first creating an association, including examples. Covers choosing the key word, choosing target image, linking them together with a primary attribute link, adding secondary links, and testing it out.
Basic rules, such as purity and keeping them simple.
Detailed example that shows how to create an association. Uses polar bears to remind us that functions of oil are engine cooling, shock absorption, protection, cleaning, sealing and lubricating.
The importance of practice while learning how to associate. Association is used by those who win the international memory championships, so with practice you can make use of association in your own learning endeavors.
How everyday use of association helps improve your ability to associate, similar to what one memory author calls the “Self-Enhancing Matrix.”
The importance of using your imagination. Younger children seem to do it well — perhaps general pruning of neurons and synapses that occurs as we go through childhood is more to do with our society imposing limits on a child’s imagination and creativity, rather than any biological process.
Some general side effects of association including higher creativity and problem solving skills.

Basic Mnemonics #

Clarification of the word mnemonic.
Details on two basic mnemonic techniques that you may have already come across or used. These are first letter, or acronym, mnemonics, and acrostic mnemonics.
An example of an aviation or flight checklist — ie how pilots use first-letter mnemonics for checklists (the FIST pre-lineup check, for checking flaps, fuel pump, instruments, switches and transponder)
Another example for taking photos (how a photographer could remember to check film, composition, focus, depth, flash, light, and surroundings, and keep the camera still).
How acrostic mnemonics use a phrase to remember information. Examples include “Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit” (notes on a treble clef) and “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas” for represents the nine planets of the Solar System.
How to combine them, and use of rhyme and rhythm
Why you need to know the content behind the mnemonic before you use these techniques, and how you can use other techniques (such as visualization) to assist this.
A complete example of how to memorize a checklist

Linked Lists and Topics #

How a linked list uses association to link from one item from the next.
The downside of using linked lists — breaking the chain, and how peg words overcome this.

Peg Words #

How peg words help you accurately remember numeric and list-type data with ease.
Standard uses of peg words, such as, lists of items, phone numbers, numerical data, specifications, personal identification numbers (PINs), and more.
Covers what peg words are, how they are made up using phonetic sounds, and the use of consonants and vowels?
Includes peg words for one to one hundred (1 to 100)
Examples of using peg words for lists, numbers, telephone numbers, and more
Tips for using peg words
How to use destruction to remember particular items in a peg word list.

Peg Events #

How peg events help you remember to do something at a particular point in time.
Some typical peg events that you can start with, such as before leaving for work, before going to bed, arriving at the supermarket, getting into the car, meeting someone for the first time, arriving at school, docking a yacht, etc
How create and use peg events.

Method of Loci #

The origins of the method of loci — from ancient Greek times. Orators, philosophers and others had to rely on memory for retaining speeches and knowledge in general
How the method of loci works — associating information with specific locations, or loci.
Typical locations you can use. How to select them. Examples of larger structures, such as creating mental buildings, towns, palaces and cities.
Includes general principles, and two common techniques — the mental journey or story technique, and the “Roman Rooms” technique.
General principles include how to select locations and guidelines for size, brightness, details, dynamic objects, familiarity
Mental journey or story technique — how to associate items along a path or journey (eg a train route). Includes basic steps to create a mental journey, as well as an example of memorizing six key points in a sales presentation. The example links points such as delivering savings to their business, improving product quality, addressing key concerns of staff, reducing wastage etc, with your normal morning routine of getting out of bed, brushing teeth, eating breakfast and walking out the door.
Roman rooms — similar to mental journey except locations are based on objects in a room. General principles for using this technique, as well as ideas for extending it. For example, create your own learning campus for your topic.

Chunking #

How to use chunking to match characteristics of working memory. The guideline of using “seven plus or minus two” items in a chunk.
Includes a specific example for points on how to conduct good presentations.