Category: GLOSSARY

11. First-Letter Cue Definition: This technique involves using the first letter of each word or item you need to remember as a cue to trigger recall. Example: You’re trying to remember a list of fruits: Apples, Bananas, Oranges, and Grapes. To help recall the list, you focus on the first letters of each fruit: A, B, O, G. When you need to remember, the sequence of letters helps prompt the list in your mind. 12. Shadowing Definition: Shadowing is a technique used to improve language memory by repeating phrases or words immediately after hearing them, which helps solidify recall through repetition. Example: If you're learning French and hear the phrase “Je suis étudiant” (I am a student), you repeat it aloud immediately. By mimicking the sounds as soon as you hear them, you improve your retention of the language. 13. Contextual Learning Definition: Contextual learning involves studying information in real-life situations or scenarios, making it easier to recall by linking it with an experience or context. Example: Instead of memorizing vocabulary in isolation, you use the words in sentences related to your daily life. For example, when learning the word “precipitation,” you look outside and say, “It’s raining, so this is an example of precipitation.” The context helps solidify the word’s meaning. 14. Emotional Association Definition: Emotional association involves linking information to an emotional experience or feeling, which makes it easier for the brain to store and retrieve. Example: You want to remember a special date, like a family member’s birthday. You associate it with the happiness you feel during the celebrations, making it easier to recall the date in the future because the emotional connection strengthens the memory. 15. Narrative Technique Definition: The narrative technique involves creating a story or sequence that ties together pieces of information, making them easier to remember. Example: To remember the steps in photosynthesis, you create a story about sunlight visiting a plant, which drinks water, and then breathes out oxygen. By turning the process into a narrative, it becomes easier to recall the steps in the correct order. 16. Categorization Definition: Categorization involves grouping related pieces of information into categories, making them easier to store and retrieve. Example: Instead of trying to remember a random list of groceries, you group them into categories like fruits (apples, bananas) and dairy (milk, cheese). By organizing them into related groups, your brain can better retain and recall the items. 17. Generation Effect Definition: The generation effect refers to the idea that information is more easily remembered when you actively generate or create it yourself rather than passively receiving it. Example: Instead of copying a teacher’s notes word for word, you rephrase the concepts in your own words while writing them down. By generating the information yourself, it sticks more effectively in your memory. 18. Prospective Memory Definition: Prospective memory refers to remembering to perform an action at a future time, like remembering to take medicine or attend a meeting. Example: You need to remember to call a friend at 4 PM. You set a mental cue by telling yourself, “I will call my friend when I see the clock hit 4:00.” By associating the action with a future event, you enhance your prospective memory. 19. Retrieval Practice Definition: Retrieval practice involves recalling information from memory without looking at notes or sources, which strengthens your ability to remember the material in the long term. Example: After reading a chapter from your textbook, you close the book and try to write down everything you remember. Practicing retrieval without hints or notes solidifies your memory. 20. Feynman Technique Definition: The Feynman Technique involves simplifying a complex topic by teaching it in your own words, making it easier to understand and remember. Example: You’re trying to learn the theory of relativity, but it seems complicated. You challenge yourself to explain it to a friend as if they’re a beginner. By breaking it down into simple terms, you deepen your understanding and make the concept more memorable.

OPTIMISED SKILLED MEMORY (OSM) TERMS – GLOSSARY