Learning anything new can be time-consuming, and retaining that new information can be daunting, especially remembering new words, steps, and procedures. Now, imagine you are studying for an exam for a new job position. Below are a few ways anyone can use to prepare for the exam, and if you are already using them, then you are increasing memory retention already.
There are many methods people use to remember new information. But how does one retrieve information? Is it from a locker, a secret word, a hand gesture like Spider-Man flinging his web from his wrist?
The ability to retrieve information is simpler than it is. For example, leaving a restaurant and remembering where the car is parked is almost instantaneous. After arriving at the restaurant, notice was taken of where the vehicle was parked and where the entrance was, so it was easier to find upon exiting the restaurant.
Information
The example provided utilized Encoding, the process of acquiring information and transferring it to LTM (Long-Term Memory), and Retrieval, bringing information into consciousness by transferring it from LTM to working memory (Goldstein, 2019). Retention refers to the ability to retain any information over a period of time.
Strategies or Principles
Research has shown that people will sometimes use an approach such as using images as a way to remember certain geographical locations or events. Ever hear someone say, “There is a store on the corner, or you will see a big red building, turn left after that.” Maybe not exactly in similar words, but a very close comparison.
Paired-Associate Learning
In the aforementioned example, we use the recollection of a memory based on an image to recall that information, which is known as a paired-associate learning strategy (Goldstein, 2019). Places of interest described as a way of giving directions are quite common. People will most often use imagery as a way to describe the location of a place, a number sequence, or the definition of something. As most people are visual learners, it also helps to increase memory retention.
Elaboration
Another great process used is something called elaboration—thinking about what you are reading and giving it meaning by relating it to other things that you know (Goldstein, 2019). This allows for the retrieval of information more easily, as it has more information added to it.
Here’s a different approach to it…You’re reading an article about how public transportation systems are designed to reduce traffic congestion. As you read, you think about your daily commute on the subway. You remember how much longer it takes to drive during rush hour and how packed the trains get during peak times. You also recall a news story about a new bike-share program in your city meant to ease pressure on buses.
By connecting what you’re reading to your own experiences and things you’ve seen in your city, you’re giving the information more meaning. This helps you remember the concept of transportation planning more easily because it now relates to real-life situations you understand. This kind of thinking, tying new information to familiar, personal examples, is how elaboration works.
Generation Effect
Do you find remembering information you created easier than reading or hearing it from someone or something else? In controlled experiments, participants remembered words better when they had generated them through cues, rather than just reading them (Slamecka and Graf 1978). If so, you are not alone. Research suggests a phenomenon in psychology called the Generation Effect, first coined in the late 1970s after learning how we remember the information better if we generate it ourselves, (Slamecka and Graf 1978).
Encoding Specificity
Another principle is Encoding Specificity. Now this may seem like something strange, and you may think that it doesn’t apply or there is no knowledge to even attempt it, but there is. Students will sometimes study for an exam with a laptop on their bed, the couch, in a library, or even in a coffeehouse. How and where studying takes place can be the determining factor for the outcome of the test for the student/s. It works closely with the idea of familiarity. A person’s ability to feel comfortable proves to be positive in every aspect.
The Forgetting Curve
Just remember, practice makes perfect, right, and the expression of if you don’t use it, you lose it really comes into play, especially considering German Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus who pioneered the experimental study of memory and retention through the use of qualitative and quantitative data. Producing what is now known as the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve (Murre & Dros, 2015). Ebbinghaus’ research demonstrated that most forgetting occurs quickly after initial learning, and then tapers off over time (Santana & Costa, n.d.). So if you want to retain that information, refresh your mind with the newly learned material.
What Works for Me
Discovery is key to understanding your strengths and weaknesses and what you are comfortable with. Test out each one, maybe on different days, and use visual cues. Write down notes and ask yourself questions about what was easy to use. Remember, you want something that works for you in the most positive direction. There are different strategies you can use, such as the ones we discussed, and others, but for now, try these and see what works, as it is my recommendation from what I use, and it has worked. It might not work for everyone, but it is worth a shot.
Once again, learning anything new can be time-consuming, and retaining that new information can be daunting, but if you are already using some of these strategies, then you have started increasing memory retention.
References
Goldstein, E. B. (2019). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5thed.). Cengage
Luiz Henrique Santana & Marcelo Costa, (n.d.). Ebbinghaus Museum. Hermann Ebbinghaus: The Online Museum on Forgetting. https://ebbinghausmuseum.org.
Murre, J. M., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. PloS one, 10(7), e0120644. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120644
Slameka, N. J., & Graf, P. (1978). The generation effect: Delineation of a phenomenon. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 4, 592–604.
