So I am interested in learning some of these memorisation techniques. Going through the tutorials and FAQs etc. it becomes clear that visualisation is a key component of these methods. This is a problem for me as I am unable to create mental images of any type. More information can be found in this article.
I was wondering if anybody else has come across this issue before or if they can point me towards memorisation techniques that don’t require the visualisation aspect.
Dave
edit: Just to clarify, I don’t possess a minds eye, I can’t visualise anything. If you ask me to recall the face of someone I know, I can’t see that persons face in my mind and instead will recall a series of facts such as they have red hair, blue eyes and so on. It would be more akin to reading a description of someones features.
I know this is hard for people to believe but it is true. For years I assumed that when people spoke of mentally visualising a scene they where speaking metaphorically. It’s only recently that I’ve discovered that most people actually are able to create images, movies etc.
Anyway if you want more information check out the link above.
use google images liberally. The auto complete function of Google/any browser well give you good ideas is of memorable images. for example, I was trying to come up with a prompt for cobalt which is the 27th element of the periodic table. I type in COB and the word “cobra” popped up. Cobra is a great visual. Coincidently, I coupled the presidents with elements. I think of a cobra caught in a taffy machine which reminds me of the same number element (27th) is the same number as president Taft (27th). I was rather proud of that connection and thought it’s too good to keep to myself.
There’s a method of memorization used by a Japanese mnemonist named Kikujiro Wadamori. The method is called the register method.
The register is to the registering method what the room is to the journey method. In the same way that you think of the room to remember the ideas, you think of the register to remember embedded ideas. Only this time, you are using a sentence instead of an image.
Take a sentence or a song that you know very well, and find ways to transform the words (that is, alter them to similar sounding words) so that you can link them to the concepts you want to memorize.
I’ll take a phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Suppose I want to remember the planets (making allowance that we have eight rather than seven), how might I turn the above sentence into a register to remember the planets?
Here’s how you might transform the register:
"The" - How can I associate this bland word with Mercury, the first planet? How about "The mercury in the thermostat shoots up as you get near the sun!"
"Pen" - How do you connect this with Venus? Well, Venus has very thick clouds. How about, "No satellite can penetrate the thick clouds of Venus."
"Is" - What's the only planet in the solar system with islands? Earth!
"Mightier" - Mighty Mars, named after the Grecian god of war.
"Than" - Sounds like "ton." Since Jupiter is very large, gravity is stronger, so what is lightweight on earth might weigh a ton (2000 lbs or 907 kilos) on Jupiter.
"The" - I know, it's tricky doing this with article words. But "the" also sounds like "thin," and Saturn has beautiful, thin rings around it.
"Sword" - A sword causes damage, but something with an opposite function might be a bandage. Bandages heal wounds. Some wounds turn blue. "Blue" sounds similar to the "U" in "Uranus."
Of course that uses up the whole sentence and I can't use a word for Neptune, so I think I will just "tune out" Neptune.
Of course the sentence is finished and so I don’t have a word for Neptune, but it illustrates the concept. And you don’t need to just use a sentence. Consider using the registering method with songs or poems that you know very well. Perhaps there’s a movie script you know by heart.
The key is to transform words in a sentence, song or poem that is memorable to you already. Create links between the words of the sentence/poem/song and the ideas. Transform words until you can link to the idea that you want to remember. Sometimes the word is perfect, like “mighty” would be used to describe a warrior, and so it fit Mars perfectly. Other words you need to alter to a similar sounding word, as I did with the words “the” and “than” to “thermostat” and “ton.” Sometimes you might want to remember some kind of opposite to the word, as I put swords and bandages as opposing one another, and mnemonized Uranus that way.
I hope this helps you. Forgive me too if in some sense I am still too “image-oriented” in my method. You have a task getting into the world of everyone else, but hopefully we will make a good attempt at getting in your’s.
You don’t have to remember their face to visualize them.
Actually I don’t even visualize their faces… I prefer to feel them.
For example my 7 of clubs if Hulk… I just have to imagine a big green guy.
7 of hearts is my mom. I don’t visualize her but simply think about her.
Like in my previous 2 decks memorized… in one of the two decks it was :
There are 4-leafs clovers (4 of clubs) on the stairs of my house with my mom walking on them to go to the kitchen on the ground floor (7 of hearts).
In the second deck it was :
An arrow is shot (Ace of spades) from the stairs and hit my mom in the back (7 of hearts).
I visualize the image of the arrow hitting my mom without having to visualize my mom’s face.
This works fine with me cause I put two associations at the same place… so I can more easily think about an interaction between those two images so I don’t have to focus on their faces at all.
If I had to focus on people’s face I really think that I would need more time to memorize everything cause i would lose time focusing on their face.