How To Remember Long Lists of Information

Presenter:Paul Nowak, Founder & Program Director

Welcome to the Webinar!

What Do Memories Look Like?

Types of Memory

● The Sensory Register

● Short-Term Memory (aka Working Memory)

● Long-Term Memory

The Sensory Register

● Touch

● Taste

● Sight

● Smell

● Hearing

Short-Term Memory / Working Memory

Like RAM on a Computer

Short-Term Memory / Working MemorySub-Systems within Short-Term Memory for:● Visual Imagery

○ Stored in an area called Visuospatial Sketchpad

● Verbal Information

● Auditory Information○ Stored in an area called the Phonological Loop

The Magic Number 71956: "The Magic Number 7, Plus or Minus Two"

George Miller's paper demonstrated the average capacity of short-term memory is 7

The Magic Number 7

How many items does it take beforeyou make a grocery list?

The Digit-Span Test

The number of digits you can accurately recall is known as the digit-span.

It is one way to measure the power of your short-term memory

Let's take the test...

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

8315

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

8315

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

39204

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

39204

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

167490

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

167490

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

0380128

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

0380128

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

82562821

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

82562821

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

493192854

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

493192854

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

4531694862

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

4531694862

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

32053728629

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

32053728629

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

743253294197

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

743253294197

The Digit-Span Test

Try to Memorize the Following Number:

9832173164810

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

9832173164810

The Digit-Span Test

(LAST ONE)Try to Memorize the Following Number:

49808936789540

The Digit-Span Test

Write it Down...

The Digit-Span Test

Did you get it right?

49808936789540

The Digit-Span Test

How many digits did you get to before you made a mistake?

831539204167490038012882562821493192854453169486232053728629743253294197983217316481049808936789540

The Average is 7

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Try memorizing this 10-digit number:

3,129,823,812

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Now Try Memorizing This 10-digit Number:

312-982-3812

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Which is easier to memorize?

3,129,823,812or

312-982-3812

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

312-982-3812

Congratulations!You've boosted your short-term memory

capacity to 10 digits.

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Try to remember these 14 letters:

XIBMSATPHDMTVX

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Apply the Technique:

X - IBM - SAT - PHD - MTV - X

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

Which is easier to remember?

XIBMSATPHDMTVXor

X - IBM - SAT - PHD - MTV - X

How To Expand Our Short-Term Memory

The "Chunking" Memory Technique

X - IBM - SAT - PHD - MTV - XCongratulations!

You've boosted your short-term memory capacity to 14 letters.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Two Types of LTMs:1. Explicit Memory (Declarative Memory)2. Implicit Memory (Procedural Memory)

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Encoding Memoriesfrom

Short-Term to Long-Term

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Encoding Memoriesfrom

Short-Term to Long-Term

Shallow Encoding vs. Deep Encoding

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Two Types of Long-Term Memory:

1. Declarative Memory (explicit memory)a. Semantic Memoryb. Episodic Memory

2. Procedural Memory (implicit memory)a. Examples: riding a bike, playing an instrument

or sport, walking, etc.

How To Deeply Encode a Memory

Using the Peg System

One of the easiest memory systems to learn

Can be applied to remembering a list of anything

How To Deeply Encode a Memory

Using the Peg System

Assume We Need to Remembera 10-item Grocery List

The Peg System to Remember Groceries

1. Bread2. Milk3. Tomatoes4. Soda5. Turkey6. Chips7. Strawberries8. Deodorant9. Cucumbers

10. Cereal

1. Pencil

2. Swan

3. McDonalds

4. Chair

5. Hook

6. Cherry

7. Lightning

8. Race Track

9. Balloon

10. Plate w/ Silverware

Create the Visualizations1. Bread2. Milk3. Tomatoes4. Soda5. Turkey6. Chips7. Strawberries8. Deodorant9. Cucumbers

10. Cereal

1. Pencil + Bread

2. Swan + Milk

3. McDonalds + Tomatoes

4. Chair + Soda

5. Hook + Turkey

6. Cherry + Chips

7. Lightning + Tomatoes

8. Race Track + Deodorant

9. Balloon + Cucumbers

10. Plate w/ Silverware + Cereal

Can you remember the list?

What's number 1?

Number 2?

Did you remember them all?1. Bread2. Milk3. Tomatoes4. Soda5. Turkey6. Chips7. Strawberries8. Deodorant9. Cucumbers

10. Cereal

How To Remember More Items

11. Detergent12. Toilet Paper13. Yogurt14. Flowers15. Cheese16. Coffee17. Fish18. Olives19. Toothpaste20. Ice Cream

Find a Theme for 11-20Everything is drenched in black oil

How To Remember More Items

Picture these items drenched in black oil with the other images (pencil, swan, etc.)

11. Detergent12. Toilet Paper13. Yogurt14. Flowers15. Cheese16. Coffee17. Fish18. Olives19. Toothpaste20. Ice Cream

Applying the Peg System to Reading

● Section 1 of the Chapter○ Associate it to a pencil

● Section 2 of the Chapter○ Associate it to a swan

● Etc, etc, etc...

Summary

● How the Memory Process Works○ Short-Term vs. Long-Term

● The Magic Number 7 & Digit-Span Test

● The "Chunking" Memory Technique

● Encoding from Short-Term to Long-Term Memory

● The Peg System

Thanks for Attending!

Contact Information:Paul Nowak

pnowak@irisreading.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paulnowakFacebook: facebook.com/nowak.paul

Twitter: twitter.com/paul_nowak