How can memory be improved by the use of mental images, concepts and schemas (which help to organise thinking)?
In the following essay I intend to show that memory can be improved by the following three ideas called mental images, concepts and schemas. Taking each idea in turn, I will firstly explain how the idea works, then present relevant research that has been carried out to prove it can be useful in helping improve our memory.
Mental images
A mental image is simply forming a picture in our mind when given verbal or written information. Also by making the effort to construct a mental image when taking in verbal or written information it helps to fix it in to our memory. Lastly having a mental image with verbal or written information gives us an extra cue when it comes to recalling the said information. We use a branch of mental images every day even though we probably don’t know we do it, it’s called Mnemonics. Mnemonics is simply a technique for improving memory by linking information to be remembered with mental images and a familiar logical sequence and example we problem all know is “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain” which helps us remember the colours of the rainbow, Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
Rough and Atkinson (1975) show the positive use of mental imagery when learning a new language. They developed a key word technique. The key word technique involves taking the English word or words that sound like the French word or part of the French word and making that your key word. Then you make a mental picture of the key word with the English translation. A good example of this is the French word “poubelle” (pronounced pooh-bell) which in English means “bin”. For your mental image you could picture yourself lifting the lid off of your bin which has turned in to a bell and you would be holding your nose because of the “pooh” smell.
They carried out an experiment using this key word technique on two groups of participants. All of...