Pictures play an integral role in how we process and understand information. Images can help us easily comprehend and digest large chunks of information that would otherwise be cumbersome to compile. The same thing applies to mental imagery. As early as we can recognize things, we have formed images in our heads to help us make sense of the world around us. Mental imagery can also help us improve our ability to both recall and retain information.
Having a reliable working memory can help us in so many ways, whether you are a student studying for an exam or simply trying to recall your password to login to a website. Mental imagery is one of the most common ways to help us improve our memory. This has been proven in several studies over many years.
Here are two different mental imagery methods can help with improving your memory. One is the pegword method, and the other is called the loci method.
Here’s how each method works:
Pegword Method
A popular mnemonic technique to help recall information is the pegword method. Think of it as “hanging” information that we need to recall as “pegs” that we can retrieve later on. The pegword method works by having to assign a specific word to a number from one through ten. The word and the number should rhyme to assist in rapid association and recall. The pegword should be one that you can easily visualize as a ‘picture.’
Common pegwords are:
1. One is bun or sun
2. Two is shoe
3. Three is bee or tree
4. Four is door or floor
5. Five is hive
6. Six is sticks
7. Seven is heaven
8. Eight is bait or gate
9. Nine is line
10. Ten is pen or hen
Once you have memorized these pegwords, they will help you recall diverse information later. It may seem strange at first, but once you start using it, you will see how it can indeed help you to remember many things more easily.
This method is especially useful for remembering lists or sequences. You can also make use of the pegword method whenever you need to remember a string of numbers, such as passwords, PINs, or phone numbers.
For example, the number you need to recall is 917428. Using the pegword method, you can use mental images of “line-sun-heaven-door-shoe-bait.”
Method of Loci
What do modern memory grand champions all over the world have in common? All of them use the method of loci to recall information.
“Loci” comes from the Latin word “locus,” which means a place or location. The method of loci works by creating a mental image of a place that is familiar to us and connecting words or ideas to that familiar place. The method of loci is also called a mental palace, memory journeys, or mind palace. Over the centuries, the method of loci has been proven to be very effective.
The method of loci works by creating a mental image of a place that you are highly familiar with. It could be your house or your office. Next, you have to identify a route that you know very well. You could start with the front door, all the way to a special room. Once you have your memory palace, you can start using images to help you recall.
Let’s say you have a grocery list: apples, yogurt, pasta, and red wine.
Now imagine yourself going through that familiar route in your memory palace. You could start with the front yard and imagine seeing apples by the door. Next could be your living room, and you imagine a tub of yogurt sitting on the sofa. Afterward, you get to the kitchen and see pasta boiling on the stove. Lastly, when you get to your room, you can see a bottle of red wine on the bed.
Instead of recalling a list of things once you get to the grocery store, you can simply go back to your memory palace to help you remember your shopping list.
Creating mental images, whether using the pegword method or the method of loci, is an effective way to help improve memory. It could also make memorizing a bunch of boring information more interesting and personal, which makes the connection more meaningful, and therefore memorable, to you.
