2011-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

I might write more later. In any event, since it's been 3/4 of a year, it doesn't look like I'll be updating the What I'm Learning section regularly. Perhaps I'll replace it with something. I'll go update my bookmarks now, though.

Memorization Techniques, Part 1: Hooks and the Link System

2010-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

(N.B. Harry Lorayne and others were propagating all this before I was born. I'm just adapting and spreading the material.)

Hooks

The premise of memorization shortcuts is the "hook." Given a datum x to be memorized, hook y is something easily associated with x that is also high in emotional/shock value--this makes y easy to remember, and since y segues into x, x is made easy to remember by extension.

For example, the Farsi word for "snow" is barf. This datum is our x. The hook y we can use to remember it is the mental image of someone barfing snow. Somewhat less patent, the Malay verb "to kill" is bunuh. We can hook this to a mental image of a gargantuan, psychotic bunny shredding people to bits with a lightsaber. Even more abstract, the Thai word for "table" is transliterated as dto; I hooked this to a mental image of the reverse-acronym dynamite table orgy. The picture you get of such a scene in your mind may be inappropriate for discussion, but that's exactly what makes it easy to remember.

The Link System

The first extension we will make from the simple hook principle is the "link system," which is effective for memorizing grocery lists and similar trivia and also will be the foundation of our future exploits in memory. The idea of it is that if you have a list of data x_a ... x_n,

currentIndex = a;
while (currentIndex < n) { createLink(x[currentIndex], x[currentIndex + 1]); currentIndex = currentIndex + 1; } So, if you have a list of four items, you create a link between item 1 and 2, then item 2 and 3, then item 3 and 4:
As long as you remember the first item in the list, you can follow the chain of links all the way to the last item. Let's practice on a list that some of my students aged 8-9 came up with (and subsequently memorized with the system): donkey, dragon, dog, vase, crocodile, penguin, mouse, temple, sword, Cerberus, Edward. As you read the story that forms links between all the words, please make vivid mental images of the action.

THE STORY: Imagine a donkey walking peacefully along a desert road. Suddenly, a dragon swoops down from the sky and gobbles him up. However, he apparently tastes quite bad, because the dragon spits him out--however, because of the magical powers of dragon spit, instead of a donkey out comes a dog. The terrified canine runs away from the dragon as quickly as he can, and in his haste he accidentally crashes into a vase. The vase shatters and a crocodile that had been hiding from his psycho wife lumbers out with the intention of tearing the meddlesome dog to shreds. Luckily, a superhero penguin zooms in and karate chops the crocodile's head off. The head magically turns into a mouse, who feels so existentially threatened by the whole affair that he runs off to the temple to pray. In the temple he finds a magnificent sword bedecked with glimmering jewels and synthetic cheese. He runs up to take it, but the temple guardian, Cerberus (the three-headed hell dog from Greek mythology), impales the poor rodent with his toenail and laughs maniacally. Just to make things fair, Edward (imagine any Edward you know or have heard of--even the creeper from Twilight works) runs up and uses the sword to cut out Cerberus' heart.

If you didn't make a point of strongly visualizing the action as you read it, go through the list again and do it right this time. Now look away and try to recite the list of words in order. I'll give you the first one: donkey. Did you get it? By the way, what is the Farsi word for "snow"? What about the Malay verb "to kill"?

Ok, that's all. In Part 2, we'll stretch the link system a bit and use it to memorize the first fifty digits of pi. Of course, the technique will also work for phone numbers, license plates, etc. In the meantime, watch the original web episodes of this series: makingfiends.com. They will help you unleash your inner happiness.

Best of the Noobs

Memorization Techniques, Part 1: Hooks and the Link System