How do you call these techniques on the Art Of Memory Forum

General Memory Chat
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The free association technique: This technique, just like the Cicero method, is used to form support
images in your memory. Moreover, both of them are based on natural associations, that is, the
connections created in your brain naturally during the perception of the already connected images.

The Cicero method: the Cicero method is based on naturally created connections in the brain when you perceive objects up close a few times. Thus, these objects (and the connections between them) are already in your brain and you do not need to memorize them on purpose. These objects should only be recalled several times in order to fix their precise sequence.

The „Russian Doll” technique: It is not important what this technique is used for - you only need to understand and master it. Images are connected in pairs using this technique. In every pair the first imageis larger and the second one is smaller. Please do not make images too small or they will not be well memorized. This is what you need to do while using this technique:

The “Chain” method: When you memorize using the “Chain” method - images are connected in pairs. You must also distinguish the first and the second image of every pair. For this purpose, the second image of a pair is placed above the first one, pierces it or is situated on the right side of the first one. The images in pairs are approximately the same size and must be in contact with each other.

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Are you asking what the names people here in the forum use for those techniques?

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No I`m asking what other names are being called for those techniques which one is the Loci System or which one is the Link system

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I think most of them would fall into “association” or in the case of Russian doll and chain, peg systems

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no they dont fall in the category of association it says make one image bigger one smaller some images are connected in pairs. If you dont know the answer dont post and dont ruin my thread

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@Bogdanm, I’ll give you my perspective on your four terms but as you saw from @niten’s reply, we all have our own opinions. There doesn’t seem to be a standardized vocabulary here or even in academic studies on mnemonic techniques and that bothered me. I put together a glossary of terms with synonyms where you can find all your questions answered from my point of view if you want to check it out on my repo.

But here’s my short answer. I would consider the free association technique just a process of association that could be achieved through a hierarchical organization, an analogy, or in what we are concerned with the most, a mnemonic image. Some people call it a link, a chain, or just glue.

The Cicero method did not really originate with Cicero and even the first written description of mnemonics, the Rhetorica ad Herennium attributed to him in past, is just likely inspired by him. Since it used the methods of locating memory images by position, it has come to be known as the method of loci in general. More specifically, it could be divided into two separate forms. If there was a seating order (alphabetic, rank) at the tables in the story of Simonides that Cicero related, then I would call it a palace. So most people would equate the Cicero method with a memory palace. If there were only positions that were remembered and the way that you remembered them was more by a story that you used, I would be call a journey.

Also, you seem to define this Cicero method as a way, after concentrated attention, that images would stick in your mind without any extra scaffolding of a sequence of rooms or without any associations of a mnemonic system. Psychologists call that implicit memories like remembering childhood homes.

The „Russian Doll” technique is an interesting association technique. I’ve seen people here use terms like branching, nesting, portals, and zooming in to describe that. From my background I’ve selected the words aggregation and composition to describe that with the difference that composition requires the larger image to exist before the smaller one can exist.

The “Chain” method is one of my favorites and it corresponds in my mind to a literary method of telling a story. The pairs chain together and are better connected when they have some reasonable logic that helps tie them together. For that reason, I call that a narrative method. There several different forms of a narrative that are driven what kinds of images they are. But your rules hold on size and contact.

I hope this helps you understand how I think and I’m sure other people will have other opinions which will give you some ideas.

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Hello hinkaboutthebible

Thanks this has told me the name I was looking for 2 of the techniques the Link method and memory palace. I`m still not sure how to call the Russian Doll Technique and the chain method.
But thanks this has been a big help. But I still need some help with the other 2 techniques I mentioned earlier.

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@Bogdanm, well then let’s dive in to the narrative a little more for some names for you so you can understand chaining better. Most people don’t bother putting names to a narrative, or a chain of visual images, and just call it a story not bothering to care about what drives the story from memory image to memory image. So there’s your key term, a story. Authors, however, do care about the narrative logic of their “story.” And as you can tell, I care about the design of the visual image sequences I create.

The story in general is a protagonist or subject driven narrative and the person naturally presents themself in most cases. I walk around in my house from room to room based on my morning routine going to different locations and using different objects, but the subject remains the same… me.

Sometimes you have to create a connector in the form of a subject. The favorite imaginary protagonist of @LynneKelly is called a rapscallion, which has a mischevious personality for initiating action, a perfect complement to forming visual images for objects. Another type of imaginary subject would be an anthropomorphic version of an object as in mythic tales. I see quirky personalities in trees and slumbering giants in grassy mounds and let them talk to me about their problems.

But what if you choose an object to be the connector between the visual images? That was one of the least exciting narrative styles and it doesn’t present itself easily. But just like in the film, The Maltese Falcon, the narrative logic is driven by the desre to own the object. Alfred Hitchcock used the term MacGuffin to describe an item-based narrative in film and I thought that it was the best to use since we see stories in our heads like films.

I think you should also see the journey as a solution to your quest for a name. People often use that term on the forum here. That’s a terrain or location-driven narrative. Things happen all within the space of a scene, a background, a room, or a piece of land. If, while walking around in my memory image of my house and I bring groceries into the kitchen, my wife walks in and takes over the narrative by cooking, it’s more of a journey.

When I’m creating narratives, it seems that the styles want to mix with each other. In using multiple locations for traversing my palace rooms, I have a story for one or more rooms where a familiar person walks about, a journey for another where an array of objects are placed, and, like in my music room, the action is all driven by the piano in the middle of the room. Look for the traversal method to find the technique. I traverse my house palace by Major system room names and then I traverse each of the rooms by a narrative.

You’ll notice that I combined two systems above. The larger is the house and the smaller is the narrative in the rooms. Does that make it a Russian Doll? Nope. Just a combination of systems to achieve the best results. Maybe the term Russian Doll is just a way people perceive the combination of systems without naming the specific types.

If you still want some clarification on anything, reform your questions again and that will help me. I’m glad you are getting a few things cleared up.

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I read your post. But I found it to be very hard to read. I have read about your morning routing but the more I read it the more its a blank there is just so much saying about nothing that I cant focus on the story. I dont mean to be rude or insulting. But can you give me the answer of what is the link method In a heck of a lot fewer words. The GMS system uses nothing regarding stories so im not interested in them. Also, I`m a horrible story teller.

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@Bogdanm, the link method would be the same as the chain method in my mind, so it’s a story.

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The free associationnand cicero method are both your own synonyms or subtypes of basic associations.
Russian doll method is a type of link method. Can be very handy for distinguishing pairs of words/pictures that are similar, but where distincting is important (eg singular-plural pairs in languanges). Chain method is also a type of link method, just with a structure. This is indeed benefitial, potentially, cause it creates more organisation and a framework for creating images, which can lead to faster creation of each link.