The hardest memory task I ever had was to give an 18-minute
TED talk from memory. I remember struggling with remembering my core ideas and
their sequence. To solve this problem, my first task was to create some slides,
which the TED format allows. The directors even show the slides on a monitor at
the foot of the stage that only the speaker can see. Looking at each slide as
it advanced helped provide cues in the proper order, but to be effective,
slides must not have much text, and in no case can a given slide reveal on its
own the associated content. I still had a memorization problem. Then I
remembered the “production effect,” which basically is a way to strengthen
memory by actually forcing the recall in the appropriate setting. In other
words, I needed to rehearse by actually giving the speech, vocalizations,
mannerisms, and all, in front of a mirror.
The usual thing we
think of about improving memory is the need for rehearsal, especially the kind
of rehearsal where you force recall at spaced intervals after the initial
learning. But another factor in improving memory is to strengthen the initial
encoding at the time of learning. Actually, this is common sense. We all have
experienced the case where we remember an intense experience primarily because
it is intense. In other words, the intensity strengthened the encoding.
A well-known technique is to use the “production effect.”
Basically, this means that encoding is strengthened by generating what you are
learning at the time of learning by
speaking it, singing it, drawing it, or deploying it in some way (as in “hands
on”). Handwriting or typing the information strengthens encoding, and studies
have shown that handwriting is more effective than typing. Any of these
approaches is much more effective than silent reading, viewing, or listening.
Many such studies confirm the effect. For example, in one
study, saying each word in a word list to be memorized, improves recall more
than 15% more than silent reading. The same degree of improvement occurs with
such mouthing the words.
Why this works to improve memory probably relates to the
fact that more attentiveness and processing is required in production than in
just silent reading or listening. One common explanation is that production
makes each item more distinctive. That is, by saying it, drawing it, or
whatever, the item acquires more features and becomes more distinctive.
As far as I know, the production effect has been studied
only with respect to rote memory tasks. I should think that it would be even
more powerful if applied when using mnemonics. For example, if you are using
the “memory palace,” as you place an item to be memorized on a room object in
your mind’s eye, you might actually describe out loud what you are imagining.
The production effect should also be useful during forced retrieval
rehearsals as well, as I did in learning my TED talk. I am not aware of experiments
that test use of production in rehearsal. Anytime you retrieve a memory item, it
is an opportunity to re-learn it in a sense, and the information gets
re-consolidated. So, if you speak, draw, or use another production effect
during forced recall, you further strengthen the encoding and subsequent
consolidation.
Whether you are a student seeking better grades, a professional trying to stay at the top of your game, or a senior hoping to stave off mental decline, my book Memory Power 101 is your key to developing and maintaining a sharper mind. The book shares Memory Medic's decades of professional experience in education and neuroscience.
Sources
Bodner, Glen E. and MacLeod, Colin M. (2016). The benefits
of studying by production … and of studying production: Introduction to the
Special Issue on the Production Effect in Memory. Canadian Journal of
Psychology. 70(2),89-92.
MacLeod, Colin M., and Bodner, Glen E. (2017) The production
effect in memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 26(4), 390-395.
