+ chapter 16 improving your memory. + most common passwords on the internet
TRANSCRIPT
+Tips for Selecting Passwords
Brown et al. (2004) – 31% of students admit to having forgotten one or more passwords. Fool the hacker and you are likely to also fool yourself. 45% of students use their own name in password construction – a
bad idea.
Use a transformation of some memorable cue involving a mix of letters and symbols
Keep a record of all passwords in a place to which only you have access (e.g. a safe deposit box) It is easier to recall the location of a hidden object when the location
is likely than when it is unexpected
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+Popular Mnemonic Aids
Harris (1980) surveyed housewives and students on their mnemonic use: Both groups used largely similar techniques; however,
Students were more likely to write on their hands Housewives were more likely to write on calendars
External aids (e.g. diaries, calendars, lists, and timers) were especially popular …Today we have laptops, PDAs, and mobile telephones
Very few internal mnemonics were reported These are especially useful in situations that ban external aids
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+List of Mnemonics (see Box 16.1)
Shopping lists
Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain (rainbow colors)
Diary
Rhymes (in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue)
Method of Loci – visualize objects in a familiar place then revisit it in your mind.
Writing on hand
Story Method – make up a story connecting items in the proper order.
Mentally retrace steps to locate an object.
Set an alarm to remember to do something (wake up, for cooking, for other tasks).
Pegword Method – one-bun, two-shoe, three-tree…
+Mnemonics (Cont.)
Turning numbers into letters, such as to remember a phone number.
Writing notes and to-do lists for yourself.
Face-name association – imagine Mr. Hiles with hills growing out of his beard.
Use the alphabet as a retrieval cue to search for a name.
Calendars, wall charts, year planners, display boards, etc.
Asking other people to remember things for you.
Leaving objects in special or unusual places so they act as reminders.
+Memory Experts
A Russian with an amazing memory A former journalist who never took notes but could repeat back quotes verbatim
Had seemingly limitless memory for: Digits (100+) Nonsense syllables Foreign-language poetry Complex figures Complex scientific formulae
His memory relied heavily on imagery and synesthesia: The tendency for one sense modality to evoke another
His apparent inability to forget, and his synesthesia, caused great complications and struggle for him
ShereshevskiiThe Mind of a Mnemonist by Luria
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+Wilding and Valentine (1994)
Innately gifted
Possess a close relative who exhibits a comparable level of memory ability
Highly practiced in certain mnemonic techniques
Naturals Strategists
Naturals vs. Strategists
Tested both kinds of mnemonists at the World Memory Championships on two types of tasks: Strategic Tasks
e.g. recalling the names of faces
Nonstrategic Tasks e.g. recognition of snow
crystals
Based on data in Wilding and Valentine (1994).
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+Spatial Navigation and Memory
During learning, superior memorizers: Tended to have more activity in areas of the brain involved in spatial
memorization and navigation This was likely related to their use of the method of loci
Involves visualizing to-be-remembered information at various points along a known route
Uses spatial memory
Maguire et al.’s (2003) Neuroimaging Experiment
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+Rajan Mahadevan
Previously held the world record for memorizing the most digits of pi (30,000) Various strategies contributed to this ability
Thompson et al. (1991) found that he had an unusual digit span: 59 visually presented digits 63 for heard digits
He chunked digits into strings of 10–15 digits, not the typical 3–4 This initially suggested a natural enhancement of his basic memory capacity However, arguing against a natural superiority, he has an average:
Symbol span Ability to remember the position and orientation of various objects Memory for word lists and stories
It turns out that he uses various associations and patterns to group digits.
A Natural Mnemonist?
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+Mnemonics
Method of Loci – place items in a location, then take a mental walk.
Peg-word System – use peg words as a structure and associate a list of items with them using visualization.
Story telling – a series of unrelated words is linked together within the context of a story. Requires training to do.
+Method of Loci
Pick a route through a familiar location, then place items along that route.
To recall them, walk back through the rooms and visualize the items left there previously.
+“This Old Man” Song
Elmo alphabet song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCZoEqJbizo
This Old Man by Rockosaurus Rex:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cYf9vkW_xU
More traditional version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmPDYkCBuoY
+Pegword System
1 – bun
2 – shoe
3 – tree
4 – door
5 – hive
6 – sticks
7 – heaven
8 – gate
9 – wine
10 -- hen
+Visual Mnemonic Techniques
Goes back to ancient Greeks
To-be-remembered items are associated with the locations (e.g. places along a walk) Effectiveness can be
diminished by introducing an interfering spatial task
Kondo et al. (2004) found that learning with this method differentially activates: Right inferior frontal gyrus Middle frontal gyrus
Limitations of the technique: Difficult to remember an item
out of order Harder to deal with abstract
words or ideas Makes it less useful in the
real world Works better for orally than
visually presented material Likely because visual
presentation interferes with visual imagery
Method of Loci
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+Method of Loci vs Rehearsal
(a) Memory performance for a 2000-word text at a short retention interval as a function of type of presentation (written vs. oral) and learning strategy (rehearsal vs. method of loci). (b) Memory performance at a 1-week retention interval as a function of type of presentation and learning strategy. Data from De Beni et al. (1997).
+Visual Mnemonic Techniques
Memorize a list of words that rhyme with digits one to ten One = Bun Two = Shoe Three = Tree …
Now imagine each to-be-remembered item interacting with one pegword e.g. for “battleship,” imagine
a battleship sailing into a floating bun
Limitations of the technique: Requires extensive training Easier to use with concrete
materials It may not be very useful in
everyday life
Pegword System
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+Visual Mnemonic Techniques
Imagery Technique: Come up with an imageable
substitute for the name e.g. Eysenck = “ice sink”
Come up with a prominent facial feature of the person e.g. a nose
Link the two e.g. The nose could be the
sink’s faucet Unfortunately, this can be too
time-consuming for real life
Expanded Retrieval Practice: Retrieve the name at
increasing intervals after first hearing them
Morris et al. (2005) found that in a naturalistic setting: Expanded retrieval practice
procedure led to 50% better recall than no strategy
Having no strategy was actually better than using the imagery technique!
Remembering Names
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+Verbal Mnemonics
Offered up rhymes to help remember 2000+ dates and facts
Presented a system for converting a number sequence into a word to help remember dates and the likes Vowels were inserted where needed Could be useful for remembering PIN numbers
e.g. 1914 (World War I begins) = CTBS CAT BASE
Reverend Brayshaw’s (1849) Metrical Mnemonics
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 00
B D G J L M P R T W St
C F H K N Q V X
S Z
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+Other Verbal Mnemonics
Take the first letter of each word you want to remember in sequence and construct a sentence with those initial letters Helpful for recalling the order of items, assuming that the words
themselves can be reliably recalled when cued with the first letters e.g. the colors of the rainbow
Story Method: Links together a series of unrelated words in the correct order within the
context of a story Limitations:
Takes a while to construct Hard to retrieve items out of order
Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
R O Y G B I V
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
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+Mnemonics and Existing Knowledge Mnemonics work when they make use of our current knowledge
Kalakoski and Saariluoma (2001) Participants:
Helsinki taxi drivers Students
Task: Remember 15 Helsinki street names, either
Connected streets presented in their real, spatial ordering Connected streets presented in random order Unconnected streets presented in random order
Results: The drivers outperformed students when connected streets were used When unconnected streets were used, the groups performed equally
Conclusion: The drivers’ existing spatial knowledge was an asset only when the
materials fit neatly into that structure
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+Principles for a Better Memory
Requirement Description
Encoding Principle Information should be processed meaningfully, relating it to preexisting knowledge
Retrieval Structure Principle Cues should be stored with the information to aid subsequent retrieval
Speed-Up Principle Extensive practice increases the speed of encoding and retrieval
Ericsson (1988)
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+From Normal to Mnemonist
They had a university student (SF) practice the digit span task for 1 hour per day for 2 years Over this time, his span increased from about 7 items to 80 items
Encoding and retrieval principles in action: He increased his span to 18 items by relating numbers to known
running times (e.g. 3594 = “Bannister’s time for the mile”) He further increased his span by organizing those chunks into a
hierarchical structure Speed-up principle in action:
He became much faster at chunking and organizing the numbers with extensive practice
However, his newfound ability did NOT generalize to other memory tasks He maintained average letter and word spans
Ericsson and Chase (1982)
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+Learning Styles
Learning Style Emphasis Predicts
Surface • Rote learning of ideas and facts• Little focus on content• Little motivation to study• Similar to shallow level of processing
Poor examination performance
Deep • Learning to understand• Relating ideas to evidence and
integrating information• High motivation to understand• Similar to deep level of processing
Good examination performance
Strategic • Seeking the study techniques to get the best grades
• Motivated to be efficient
Great examination performance
Biggs’ (1987) Study Process Questionnaire
The questionnaire assesses students’ dominant approach to learning
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+Morris’s (1979) SQ3R Approach
Stage Goals
S Survey • Figuring out how the reading is organized• Read the summary or scan the piece
Q Question • Thinking of relevant questions which each section should answer
• Do this for chunks of text of 3000 words or less
R1 Read • Reading through each chunk in order to:• Answer the questions formulated above• Integrate information to pre-existing knowledge
R2 Recite • Trying to remember the key ideas of each chunk• If forgotten, repeat the Read stage
R3 Review • Remembering the key ideas from the chapter and combining the chunks after finishing the entire piece
• Return to Read stage, if necessary
Five Stages of Effective Reading
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+Morris’s (1979) SQ3R Approach
Benefits of the SQ3R approach: Avoids the student’s illusion
The false confidence students get as they skim through a chapter, finding that the material seems familiar (i.e. they’d be able to recognize it)
However, the actual test is likely to be: More anxiety-provoking Asking them to recall (rather than recognize) the information
Five Stages of Effective Reading
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+Testing Effect
Testing Effect: The finding that long-term retention
is best when the information is repeatedly tested during learning
Task: Students were asked to memorize a
prose passage through either Repeated Study (SSSS):
Passage was read four times without a test
Single Test (SSST): Passage was read three times,
followed be a recall test Repeated Test (STTT):
Passage was read once, followed by three recall tests
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Karpicke and Roediger (2006a)
Results: Repeated study is most
effective at the short retention interval At learning, this group
expected the best long-term memory
Considered the least effortful/demanding condition
Repeated testing is most effective at the long retention interval i.e. the testing effect
+Testing Helps Long Term Memory
Memory performance as a function oflearning conditions (S, study; T, test) and retention interval (5 minutes vs. 1 week). From Roediger and Karpicke (2006). Copyright © Blackwell Publishing. Reproduced with permission.
+Explaining the Testing Effect
Storage Strength: Relative permanence of a memory trace
Retrieval Strength: The accessibility of a given memory trace
Easy retrieval does not increase storage strength
Difficult retrieval increases storage strength and leads to long-term memory performance Working hard to give yourself recall tests during studying is highly
beneficial to long-term retention
Bjork and Bjork (1992)
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+Testing with Feedback
Task: Learn Luganda–English translations
Some participants got corrective feedback on incorrect test trials during study
Others did not receive feedback Tested 1 week later on the vocabulary
Results: Recall for the words they had gotten wrong a week before was about
five times better if they had received immediate feedback.
Conclusion: Testing yourself with feedback is best for long-term retention
Tip: Use flashcards; don’t just re-read your notes!
Pashler et al. (2005)
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+Mind Maps
Mind Map: A note-taking/brainstorming
strategy consisting of a diagram, including: A central idea Related ideas
More closely related concepts are located closer to the central concept
Links connecting them
Buzan and Buzan (1993)
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+Benefits of Mind Maps
Encourage active learning
More natural than linear note taking
Ideas are distilled to their core, leaving out unimportant details
Visual images may be easier to remember
Color coding can be used to indicate category relations
Farrand, Hussaine, and Hennessy (2002) Task:
Learn the material by: Mind mapping Usual study techniques
Tested 1 week later Results:
Mind-mapping group recalled 10% more Even though mind mappers
had less motivation for their technique
Budd (2004) suggested that students favoring a “doing” learning style are more motivated to use mind maps than people with a “thinking” learning style
Presumed Benefits Empirical Benefits
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+Vocabulary Learning
Keyword Technique Form an association between the new word and an English
word/phrase sounding like it The sound-alike word becomes the keyword
Create a mental image with the keyword linking the two Example:
Word: zvonok (pronounced zvah-oak; means “bell” in Russian)
Keyword: “Oak”
Image: An oak tree covered with bells
Keyword Technique
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+Keyword Technique
Receptive Vocabulary Learning e.g. producing the appropriate
English word to a foreign word
Productive Vocabulary Learning e.g. producing the right foreign
word to an English word
Results: Providing noun keywords yields
better memory than other strategies in receptive learning
Productive learning does not seem to benefit from keywords
Conclusion: In productive learning, retrieving
the keyword when presented with the English word didn’t provide enough information to recall the foreign word
Follow-Ups: Keywords can benefit productive
learning with enough practice
Ellis and Beaton (1993)
Adapted from Ellis and Beaton (1993).
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+Learning Verbatim
Noice and Noice (1996) Actors start the process of memorizing lines by focusing on the
needs and motivations of the characters This lays down the structure for and helps deeply encode the
material Allows them to understand why certain words were chosen for a
particular character This is associated with better gist recall; however, actors are
surprisingly good in their verbatim recall as well Actors use contextual information (e.g. gestures, stage moves, and
facial expressions of other actors, as well as their own physical positions) to facilitate recall of the lines
Actors Learning Lines
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+Attention, Interest, and Knowledge
Information on any given topic will be remembered better by individuals who have great interest in it than those who don’t e.g. the Swazi’s of South Africa superior memory for information
about cows (Bartlett, 1932)
Interest in a topic is positively associated with pre-existing knowledge and schemas into which new information can be integrated e.g. existing soccer knowledge correlates highly with the ability to
remember made-up soccer scores (Morris et al., 1981)
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+Motivation
Assumptions: Conscious goals have a
major impact on people’s motivation and behavior
Self-assigning more difficult goals is associated with better performance
It is important to be fully committed to the goal
Goals should be SMART: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-framed
The theory holds up when there is a single, specific task without distraction However, real-life goals are
much more complicated …
Locke’s (1968) Goal-Setting Theory
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+Motivation
Implementation Intentions: Objectives explicitly
specifying in detail how, when, and where individuals are going to achieve the goals they have set themselves
Creates an “instant habit” Reliably triggered by
relevant cues Offer an improvement over
goal-setting theory for real-world intentions
Implementation instructions Can reduce susceptibility to
distraction Especially if they aim to
ignore distractions rather than increase focus on the task of interest e.g. saying, “Whenever
the distraction arises, I will ignore it!”
Can enhance the chances of people achieving their goals e.g. Gollwitzer and
Brandstätter’s (1997) Christmas homework
Gollwitzer’s (1999) Implementation Intentions
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+Examples of Implementation Instructions
Natalie says: “When one of my roommates knocks on the door, I will tell her that I’ll see her at 8 pm.”
“Whenever the distraction arises, I will ignore it” works much better than “I will not let myself get distracted”
Gollwitzer and Brandstätter’s (1997) Christmas homework: 75% of students with implementation instructions
completed their Christmas reports 33% of students without instructions completed reports