Schemas:

A schema is a mental concept which informs a person about what to expect from a variety of experiences and situations. Schemas are developed based on information provided by life experiences and are then stored in memory.

In EWT, schemes help you to fill in the gaps when you can't remember certain information. We sometimes remember certain objects or situations more than others because they don't fit our schemas- they stand out from everything else.

Mnemonic techniques:

How they work-

Organisation- This enables us to establish links that help recall. It also refers to putting items in order, such as writing notes in a clear hierarchy. Bower et al gave participants 112 words to learn. If they were organised into conceptual hierarchies, recall was 2-3 times better than if the words were presented in a random order.

Elaborate rehearsal- Memory research has shown that enduring memories are created though the process of elaboration. Mnemonic techniques make us elaborate the information to be remembered.

Dual coding hypothesis- Paivio proposed that words and images are processed separately. Concrete words, which can be made into images, are double encoded in memory. They are coded once in verbal symbols and once as image-based symbols.

Verbal mnemonics-

Acronyms- Where a word or sentence is formed from the initial letters of other words.
Acrostic- A poem or sentence where the first letter in each line or word forms the item to be remembered.
Rhymes- Groups of words with an identity and rhythm.
Chunking- Dividing a long string of information into memorable chunks.

Evaluation-

The popularity of verbal mnemonics was shown by Gruneberg. From a study of psychology students he found that 30% used verbal mnemonics in their revision.
Glidden et al found that verbal mnemonics were effective in children with learning disabilities, although their effectiveness over a control group was no longer evident 12 months later.

Visual imagery mnemonics-

Method of Loci- Used mental techniques to help them remember points they wanted to make in their long speeches. The methods requires people to associate parts of the material to be recalled in different places in the order that they are to be recalled.
Keyword method- Used when trying to associate two pieces of information. For example you could try and associate the word with a certain image.

Evaluation-

O'Hara found that the use of visual mnemonic techniques such as the method of loci has long-term memory benefits for older adults, especially those who continued to employ this technique.

Atkinson found that participants trained in the use of keywords learned more Russian vocabulary than a control group who received no training in this method. However, the long term advantage of the keyword technique is less supported.

Limitations-

Most studies have taken place in labs so lack ecological validity. Studies of real life classroom applications showed more mixed results.

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This is a detailed explanation on schemas and mnemonics, with information on how they work and their effectiveness.

Strategies for Memory Improvement