Mnemonics

Pandit Badri Prasad Har Har Bole

पंडित बद्री प्रसाद हर-हर बोले

Meaning     

Pronunciation of ‘Mnemonics’ – /nɪˈmɒnɪks/ (निमोनिक्स)

Literary meaning – the study and development of systems for improving and assisting the memory.

Meaning in psychological parlance – A technique that aids in retention and recall of information.

Definition

          “It is a technique or device, such as a rhyme or an image, that uses familiar associations to enhance the storage and recall of information” (Solso, 2006).

         “A technique of associating mother information with known external or internal devices [cues, images, sound etc.] for retaining and [correct] recalling learned material”.

Introduction

          Mnemonics is a technique to make forgettable information memorable. They ensure learning in such a way that makes recall easy. These techniques are sometimes called as devices that help in storing and recalling the information [complex] in the same sequence with greater accuracy. Mnemonic are systematic procedures which encode the information effectively that help in recall and retrieval.

Important Types of Mnemonics

(i)       sentence mnemonics that helps in preventing spelling errors.

(ii)      acronyms mnemonics helps in remembering the information in sequence.

(iii)     musical mnemonics makes learning better.

(iv)     model mnemonics such as graphs, charts, diagrams, mind maps etc.

(v)   phrase mnemonics My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (Nine planets).

(vi)     acronym mnemonics VIBGYOR

(vii)    image mnemonics

Characteristics of Mnemonics

1.       Mnemonics are memory assistants.

2.       Mnemonics circumvent the forgetting.

3.       They utilizes the cognitive space optimally.

4.       They can be in the form of image, touch, sound, taste or smell. In other words they can belong to one or more sensory systems.

5.       Mnemonics helps in organizing the information in the required order.

Methods of Mnemonics

          Mnemonics can be formed using following methods: -

(i)       Method of Loci

(ii)      Peg Word System

(iii)     Key Word Method

(iv)     Organizational schemes

(v)      Acronym & Acrostic

(i)       Method of Loci – Loci is the plural of Locus means places. In this method the material to be remembered is visualized on familiar places or landmarks. Information is placed at the cornerstones of imaginary journey. Create a memory palace and place the information at various locations.

(ii)      Peg Word System – In peg word system new words or concepts are associated with list of already known words. In the peg word system already known information is ordered (such as numbers or the alphabet) with the information that needs to be learnt. For example, learn a rhyme one-sun, two-pooh, three-curry, four-door etc. Now if we want to remember names of Indian scientists PC Ray, S Ramanujan, CV Raman, S N Bose etc. according to their year of birth. Just use peg words in this way PC Ray shown like sun, S Ramanujan like to play with pooh, CV Raman ate full plate of curry etc.

(iii)     Key Word Method – The keyword method is used to memorize the meaning of words through visualization especially useful in learning foreign language. It is the system of linking two different types of information. It’s a kind of elaborative rehearsal and achieved in two steps.

          (a)      Choose a key word that sounds like the word that is similar to the stimulus word.

      (b)      Visualize the association in the form of an image between the keyword and stimulus word.

Ex. If you are asked to learn word ‘Alacrity’. Choose a similar sounding Hindi keyword i.e. कृति. Now associate these two words by a sentence such as भगवान ने कृति को जोशीला व सुंदर बनाया है। This way we can remember the meaning of Alacrity as ‘liveliness and eagerness’.

(iv)     Organizational schemes – In this scheme the information is organized into semantic categories which are then used cues for recall. Chunking is one of the best examples of organizational schemes. To learn unrelated information organize it into similar categories. For example if we are required to remember these words:

Pond                      Mango                   Pen

Eraser                    Ocean                    Ladoo

Bread                     River                     Sharpener

 Organize these words into categories i.e. Stationary, Eatables and Water bodies.

(v)      Acronym & Acrostic – Acronym is one word formed from the first letters of phrase of group of words such as NOIDA (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority). OKHLA (Old Canal Housing & Land Authority). Interesting isn’t?

Acrostic is forming phrase or sentence from the first letters of a word.

Uses of Mnemonics

1.       Mnemonics are found to be helpful in improving academic achievements.

2.       Used as teaching aids in classroom.

3.       For students with learning problems.

4.       Improving memory.

5.       Learning foreign language.

6.       Devising learning strategies.