Unit 2.4: Encoding Memories

Mnemonic devices

Strategies or tricks to help remember information.

Method of loci

A memory technique using familiar locations to remember items.

Chunking

Grouping information into meaningful units to make it easier to remember.

Hierarchies

Organizing information into levels or categories to improve memory.

Spacing effect

The idea that spreading out study over time improves memory.

Memory consolidation

The process of stabilizing a memory so it becomes long-term.

Massed practice

Studying a lot at once (cramming), usually less effective.

Distributed practice

Studying in smaller sessions over time, more effective for memory.

Serial position effect

The tendency to remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle ones.

Primacy effect

Better memory for items at the beginning of a list.

Recency effect

Better memory for items at the end of a list or a sequence.