Monopolizing memorization

It's been said a picture is worth a thousand words. Texas A&M neuroscience professor and memory expert Bill Klemm says pictures are worth more than that - they can help you memorize a 100-page magazine in 30 minutes.

As a teenager, Klemm performed this feat on numerous occasions."My father was a salesman for the Dale Carnegie courses. What it was, was teaching people a system for memorizing long lists of things," Klemm said. "My father taught it to me and wanted me to demonstrate how well it worked at the meetings when they were trying to recruit people to sign up for this course."

At the beginning of each meeting Klemm was given a new magazine to study for the remainder of the meeting.

"So I would go back there and more or less memorize the whole magazine and go up there, and they would call out a page number, and I would tell them what's on it, or they would tell me what's on it, and I would tell them what page number it is," Klemm said.

The trick is to associate each number with a visual object, Klemm said. For example, the number one is associated with the tall, leanness of a tree trunk so whatever information is on page one can be worked into the tree image. Imagine the information in visual form hanging on the tree or growing out of the tree.

"Now you have this mental picture that links whatever you are trying to remember with the image," Klemm said.

While this may sound useful for nothing more than a cool party trick, Klemm said applying the same techniques to studying can lead to making better grades with less effort.

With effective memorization skills, students can decrease the overall amount of study time by making each time more efficient and productive, said Cody Blair, test preparation coordinator for the Continuing and Professional Studies Office.

"Having a mediocre memory doesn't mean a student can't succeed; it just means they'll have to work much harder. If you have a mushy memory you may have to reread that text book chapter three or four times to be test-ready. Cultivate a steel-trap mind; however, and you can read it once while getting better grades," Blair said.

Student Learning Center Instructional Programs Director Joel McGee said it is essential for students to understand the memory process.

"If you understand how the memory works then you can develop some study techniques that can help you memorize information," McGee said.

"Wimpy memory skills mean hours and hours of review to get spotty recall during the exam. But most students, by learning a few simple memory tricks, can really boost their GPA while actually cutting back on study time," said Blair, whose study tips blog was named in bestonlineuniversities.com's Top 50 Bloggers to Help You Study, Focus, and Learn Better. "That means no all-nighters, no stress and no wasted hours holding down a study carrel in the library; just beefier grades and time for an actual social life."

Having a good memory also has beneficial effects, in the social sector. Fish camp counselor Eric Pointer knows firsthand how important it is to remember names and faces, in his case his group of freshmen.

"It definitely looks bad if you don't remember their name, it's very important to remember. A trick that I use personally is I like to make a nickname," said Pointer, a sophomore telecommunications major. "So maybe if you can't remember a name then try to make a personal connection with them, that always helps."

One reason many students have memory problems is because they do so many things wrong.

"In other words, if I've got a memory problem I'm doing something wrong, and there are probably some good things I should be doing that I don't know to do," Klemm said.

Some of the common pitfalls to fostering a good memory are distractions, not getting enough sleep and too short consolidation time. Humans have what is called a "scratch pad" memory, like a blackboard that gets erased. The process of memorizing information can get disrupted by other things catching our attention such as sounds, conversations or even other information. This interruption erases the previous information before your brain has time to consolidate, or commit to memory, the information trying to be memorized.

"There is a small, narrow window of time right after you learn something called the critical period, and if you don't get it consolidated then, then it won't happen," Klemm said. "This small window of time is the vulnerable period, when the memory you have on your scratch pad could get erased."

"What you ought to do is sit there and think about what you just learned as soon as the class is over and everyone leaves," he said. "Then go out about 30 minutes later and think about it again. Do that about two or three times and you usually have it memorized right then and there."

Whether it's taking a test or meeting new people at a party, all it takes is a nice stroll down memory lane.

Simple steps - Study class material 30 minutes after it has been presented. - Associate page numbers with images. - Get ample amounts of sleep. - Always pay attention in class. - Use study time wisely.

Techniques for memorization Paying attention Studying often in short sessions Rehearsal Organizing or grouping relating items