Simple exercises for memory pumping

Chapter 6. Hi Andrew! Strategies for remembering names and persons

It was a small training, where there were only ten participants. In the beginning, we were asked to stand up, introduce yourself and tell us a little about yourself.

I sat in the middle, and while the other members talked fun facts, thinking about their own history.

When my turn came, I put together, like a puzzle, interesting events in one image, quickly presented themselves and settled back into place. Mentally sighing, as very nervous before the performance, I praised myself and satisfied, he continued to listen to the remaining children.

A few minutes later the main part of the training began.

Everything was fun and pretty well until just before the break, I was not very curious - and as name of each member of our group?

Pasha, Xenia, Alex... it was all very easy to remember. I felt much if not a superman, that is exactly what some

superhero... so two minutes. And then I began to break, and I looked at the badges.

Sasha turned out to Cyril, Ksenia - Nastya and Pasha Pasha... I'm guessing. As a result, I have correctly named only three out of ten. Three! And I'm an expert on the development of memory ...

Why we do not remember people's names?

When meeting a person's attention is usually directed to anything, but not on the person's name.

Our brains are busy thinking how I look and what is going to say, as represented by the... Interestingly, as I turned out the lights? And the door closed? Oh, cool dog! This husky, probably... And so on. In general, I thought of everything, except the name.

And we do not remember something that we have not drawn Attention. If we are not focused, it is unlikely to remember a person's name. This is the first reason.

The second reason - are abstract names, and they are not easy to imagine. There is hardly a person who says, "I remember your name, but the person can not remember!" Always on the contrary, and this is because we see the face, but no names.

The third reason - there is no connection with the person. What does it mean? There are situations that you remember the names, but to whom they belong - no. This happens when you meet en masse. It comes confusion - Ksyusha call Nastya, Cyril Pasha and so on. Sounds familiar?

Summarize. To good to remember names, you need to solve three problems:

1. No distractions.
2. Convert the name in the picture.
3. Assign a name to the man.

The technique of "Detail"

I had a whole 15 minute break to rectify the situation and remember the names of all the children in the audience, using special tools. So I decided to do this technique of "Detail". It consists of five steps:

1. Before acquaintance to pronounce the "What's your name?".
2. Find distinctive item in the face of a man.
3. Convert the name of the person in the image.
4. Connect a distinctive detail and a way to name.
5. Repeat the name at the end of the day.

Let's look at each item in detail.

1. "What's your name"

For a second or two to start dating, try speaking this sentence to myself. This will help to focus on the person's name.

2. A distinctive detail

What is it for?

When we come to visit friends, we hang or we place things in a certain place (for example, on a jacket hanger, bag or jacket on the back of the chair), so that later, when we go home, can easily find them.

Here is the same: a person's face - a hanger on which we will hang a name. That is the person - it is our memory palace.

What could be the distinguishing features?

• Ears (big, small, bulging).
• Eyes (large, sunken, protruding, almond-shaped, narrow).
• Nose (hooked, potatoes, meaty).
• Beard.
• Bald head.
• The chin.
• Eyebrow (thin, painted, dense, bushy) and so on.

It is important to note that what you first caught my eye, and will be the hallmark.

Consider the following example. Look at the two pictures (Fig. 15). What would you highlight as a distinctive part?

If I would have to memorize their names, then the first picture, I would pick the eyes, and the second - his lips.

How to learn to highlight details in people's faces?

• Examine your face in detail. And then you will be easier to find differences in the faces of others. So it will work the principle of comparison. Examples: her eyebrows thinner mine; I have a bulbous nose, and his hook. You will start quickly find the differences, and therefore highlight the details for storing names.
• Each week, choose one of the items and try to explore it from all the people who you met during the day.

For example, this week you have chosen your ears. Now everyone he met, try to see them. What they form differ from each other and so on.

Next week, do the same thing, but with a different piece.

3. Convert the name of the person in the image

How to do it?

• Select the image of the rhyme: Egor - ax, Lena - antenna.
• Or similarity of characters / consonance: alevira - alef. You can choose two ways of: elf + forks.
• It can also be your personal association with that name. For example, Sasha - the motorcycle. Just because your childhood friend always loved motorcycles.

Important! Assigned to the names of permanent way. For example, Yegor will always be "the ax". This need for speed and quality of memorization.

4. Connect a distinctive detail and image in the name

Here everything is clear, and let us consider the examples immediately.

• Since you met a man named Egor. He has thick eyebrows. Invent or recall the image of this name and associate it with the eyebrows. Now let it be "ax", and then you can imagine how confused eyebrows ax.
• You need to remember a girl named Hope. Suppose she had big eyes. My image on the name of Hope - a compass. I would imagine that in the eyes of this girl as the tears flow compasses.

5. Retention of information

For long-term preservation of information using SIP.

Acting on this algorithm, I remember all the guys for 25 seconds. A couple of times drove on the CIP algorithm and at the end of the training to easily remember the names of all participants. This is despite the fact that the second part of the training was very informative and his head was a chaos of thoughts.

Additional materials: for memorizing the speed you need to pre-select images for the frequency of names. You can do it yourself or write me an email [email protected]And I will send you additional materials to the entire book.

spaced repetition system (STS)

We have already talked a little bit in the second chapter of the speed with which information is forgotten. And before we find out an effective system of repetitions, to brush up on what we already know about Ebbinghaus and his research.

In 1980, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting decided to find out information speed. For this, he cramming memorize nonsense syllables composed of two consonants and a vowel between them (gov, tab, mos, stamens, PWM and the like).

The result of this experiment, which lasted for two years, was the following conclusion: after the first error-free repetition forgetting goes very quickly - within the first 20 minutes we lose around 40% of all information.

An hour lost about 60%, and the next day, if nothing is done with the information will remain of it no more than 33-35% of the head (Fig. 16).

The conclusion that can be drawn from studies Ebbinghaus, the following: if you want something to save for a long time in memory - repeat.

The easiest and best way to repetition - it is used in practice. Read, learn something useful - make a plan for the introduction of information and do their experiences.

And if you can not immediately apply this knowledge and at the same time you want to remember information for a long time, using spaced repetition system (CIP).

On the basis of the curve of forgetting psychologists suggest the following algorithm to repeat the information:

• The first repetition is done immediately after memorization.
• The second - 20 minutes after the first repetition.
• The third - the day after the second repetition.
• Fourth - in two-three weeks after the third repetition.
• Fifth - after two or three months after the fourth repetition.

When I tried this system, I did not like it. I did the third repetition - remembered, but remembered oh, very slowly, as in the first iteration. And at the fourth repetition (two to three weeks) it turned out that some information is lost, and had to retrain.

It was inconvenient to use this algorithm, but as they say in one very well-known book, "Seek and ye shall find" - and I started looking for ...

effective CIP

My search through trainings, books and articles have led me to the following algorithm For the first time such an algorithm idea voiced by Nikolai Yagodkin. - Approx. author. :

1. Remember something.
2. Making the right first repetition.
3. Do not wait for 20 minutes, and immediately after the first repetition of doing a few more reps in a row.
4. Then we begin to repeat at intervals.

Why is it so effective?

Imagine that you live in a hut in the forest and are going to go to visit a friend who lives just three football fields, thickets of you. And, of course, there is no other way, you need only go through these thickets.

You're going very slowly, as hinder the bushes, but still moving, and after a while get to his friend. Hooray! You met with warmth and comfort, and you for some time remained at a party.

And then what? Of course, you have to go home and go to need the same way - through the field thickets.

While you are visiting a friend, an herb that has been cut is not the root, but only at the top, rose again, with a fairy tale - cut off one head, in its place two new rose.

But you still have to go back, and you with the same difficulty as the first time, goes home.

It's the same with our repetitions.

When we remember something, we have created a new connection between neurons. Until this connection is very weak, and slowly comes to mind quickly forgotten. And if we repeat the initially long intervals (as suggested by psychologists), the grass will grow and it will be very hard to pass.

But if we, for example, we can try several times back and forth in our field and walking path, it will go faster, and the grass will grow very slowly, is not it? So!

That is, if we repeat a few times in a row that have learned neural connections become strong, the information will be remembered and forgotten faster than would be slower. And this is what we need.

Once again, as a result, the algorithm is effective reps:

1. I remember something - made the first repetition.
2. Immediately after the first repetition make a few more reps in a row (three, five, ten).
3. Repeat intervals - 20 minutes, then an hour or two after memorizing, and if there are no errors, then increase the repeat interval in half.
4. Repeat at least three consecutive days three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening (for an hour or two before bedtime) and then repeat in a week or two, a month, two, four, eight... and so on.

boxes Leitner

can be used for spaced repetition application AnkiOr if you want to do without gadgets and like to remember through the usual cardsIt is possible to make boxes Leitner.

It's very simple and very convenient.

Takes four boxes. In the first write - every day, in the second - once a week (and write the day, such as Thursday), at the third - once a month (and write the number, for example, the first of every month), on the fourth - twice a year (for example, July 5, and 5 of December).

In the first box gets all the information that you just remember and repeat the first three days. Three days later, it gets you out of the box - check, and if there were no errors, this information perekochovyvaet into the second box. If there were errors, we perezapominaem this information, and reserve for another three days in the first box.

Then every Thursday to look into the second box, We reach out all the information and check. If there are no errors - the information goes into the third box and checked once a month, if there are errors, the first perezapominaem everything, and then send this information back to the first box.

Boxes Leitner - a very handy tool for organizing spaced repetition. Try.

The task: tell three different people on how to effectively repeat any information, to keep it permanently.

To buy a book

Andrey Safronov - a man with a unique memory, mnemonics teacher and champion intellectual Inchamp kinds of sports in the category "Memory". The book-training "supermemory seven steps" he has collected have been tested and simple exercises that will help develop memory, learn to keep the right information in your head and thus increase productivity in the work or studies. For successful performance of tasks do not need extraordinary abilities, or sophisticated tools, but perseverance and persistence.