Define the term "mnemonic" and provide examples. Explain how you could use mnemonics to improve your study habits, and describe a situation in which mnemonics provide little help.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Student examples will vary. A sample answer follows.
Mnemonics are techniques that help people remember information. A method of loci, also called a memory palace, is one such technique. If I wanted to remember the first ten digits of pi, I would create a method of loci in which I imagined a big 3 sitting on my doormat, a 1 in my front hallway, a 4 in my kitchen area, and so on.
The bizarreness effect is another mnemonic. People are more likely to remember odd or unusual imagery. Although the idea of a big 3 on my doormat is already strange, I could add to the method of loci by imagining that the 3 is wiping its feet on the doormat, the 1 is putting its coat in the hall closet, and so on.
Using a method of loci, especially one with bizarre imagery, would help me remember a list of words, phrases, or numbers. Unfortunately, mnemonics do not work well for general knowledge and specific episodes. Therefore, if I need to remember the definition of irony for my composition class, it would make more sense for me to review the definition at intervals and focus on its meaning instead of trying to create a mnemonic.