Infographic 6.1: Study Smarter: Methods of Improving Your Memory

The introduction reads as follows: You may never need to memorize the order of 2,808 playing cards as memory champion Dominic O’Brien did. But you do need to be able to understand and recall hundreds of details when your teacher hands you an exam. Luckily, research shows that certain strategies and memory techniques will help you retain information when you study. The infographic uses the analogy of a roadway with stops along the road, beginning with the label “start studying” and ending with a graphic showing a page labeled “test” with an “A” overlaying the page.

There are five sections with examples as follows:

1. Recall details—Mnemonics translate information into a more easily remembered form. A callout leads to three graphics and steps as follows:
   • Acronyms and first-letter technique—It’s easier to remember a short phrase than a string of information. The graphic shows a rainbow with the letters starting each stripe’s colors listed.
   • Chunking— It’s easier to remember a few chunks than a long string. The graphic shows a string of text reading, “8935550172,” and a second string with separators reading, “893-555-0172.”
   • Method of loci—It’s easier to remember information when you deliberately link it to locations along a familiar route. The graphic shows a map with graphical pins pointing locations on the map.
2. Organize information—Hierarchical structures organize information into a meaningful system. The process of organizing aids encoding and, once encoded, the information is easier to recall. The callout shows two sequences of graphics. In the upper graphic, a string of small images shows furniture, fruit, and flowers randomly ordered. A hierarchy below the upper graphic shows the small images sorted according to type.
3. Make connections—Elaborative rehearsal is deep processing that boosts transfer to long-term memory by connecting new information to older memories. The callout shows a young man with a ball-and-stick model standing in front of a blackboard showing a chemical equation.
4. Give yourself time—Distributed practice creates better memory than study crammed into a single session. A graphic shows five calendar pages, with the pages numbered 13, 15, 18, 21 showing “study” below the group. A calendar page numbered 23 shows “test” pointing to the page.
5. Get some rest— Sleep, or even wakeful resting after study, allows newly learned material to be encoded better. The callout image shows a young woman with her hand on her chin and her eyes closed.