Critical THiNKing in Action

Memorization Strategies

In a study of why some people are better at accurately memorizing new information, magnetic resonance brain imaging was used to determine which brain regions are correlated with specific memorization strategies.* Researchers found that most people use one or a combination of the following four strategies for remembering the picture to the right.

1.Visualization inspection. Participants carefully study the visual appearance of an object. Some people are much better at this strategy and are able to commit pictures as well as pages of books tovisual memory.

2.Verbal elaboration. Individuals construct sentences about theobjects ormaterial they are trying to memorize. For example, they may say to themselves, "The pig is key to this image."

3.Mental imagery. Individuals form interactive mental images, much like an animated cartoon. For example, they may imagine the pig jumping into a pool off the end of a diving board shaped like a key.

4.Memory retrieval. People reflect and come up with a meaning for the object or association of the object with personal memories.

Participants who use one or a combination of these different strategies performed better at learning new material than those who used these strategies only rarely or not at all. In addition, it was found that each of these strategies used different parts of the brain and that people seem tohave different learning styles that work best for them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.What strategy, if any, do you use for learning new information? For example, what strategy might you use for remembering the picture below? Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy or strategies in helping you be a better critical thinker and in your performance in classes. 2.Think of a time when you later discovered that a memory you had was inaccurate or false. Discuss how the use of these strategies might make you less prone to memory distortions. Be specific