Memory training

[Eddie Dane]

Ok, I once bought Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory book *hangs head in shame*.

But these days I have a renewed interest in improving my memory.

Are there any legitimate techniques? Or does memory work in such a way that you cannot train it as such?

I mean: a waiter may be good at remembering orders from clients, but be unable to remember his credit card number.

Any thoughts or experiences?

[Caradoc]

Only one I can think of is "the memory book" by Harry Lorraine. Basically some visualization and mnemonics for faces, numbers and such.

[Seren_]

I recently read an article (offline) about ""Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training" and similar methods.

The conclusion was that those kind of training are only good for getting better at these excercises, but it does not help you in other areas. For example, improving mental calculation won't help you remember your shopping list better.

If you want to keep your brain fit and "young", the advice from the same article was to keep learning new things like a new language. It has a real impact when comparing performance of people in their 60s, 70s.

Edit : English question : which is more correct ? "these kind of training" or "those kind of training" or neither ?

[neutrino_cannon]

Edit : English question : which is more correct ? "these kind of training" or "those kind of training" or neither ?

"these" is for plurals, "this" is for singular.
"those" is for plurals, "that" is for singular.

(I have no idea what the precise difference in meaning is)

"these exercises" was correct, since "exercises" in plural.

You would want either "this kind of training" or "that kind of training" since "kind" is singular.

In any case, I could tell what you meant.

[Kuko 4000]

Ok, I once bought Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory book *hangs head in shame*.

But these days I have a renewed interest in improving my memory.

Are there any legitimate techniques? Or does memory work in such a way that you cannot train it as such?

I mean: a waiter may be good at remembering orders from clients, but be unable to remember his credit card number.

Any thoughts or experiences?


Yes, there are legitimate memory techniques that a normal person can learn. All it takes is determination and medium to hard work (imagination is maybe the most important thing once you have the will power), but the results are well worth it. After I bumped into memory techniques my understanding of how things work regarding human learning through memory have not been the same. The good point about legitimate memory techniques is that the things you want to put in your head stay in your head, potentially forever, since the techniques of recap are at your disposal whenever you want.

There are others, but I can personally recommend the techniques and explanations of Dominic O'Brien:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_O'Brien

This book of his gets a lot of recommendations:

How to Develop a Perfect Memory

http://www.amazon.com/Develop-Perfect-Memory-Dominic-OBrien/dp/1857931068/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246959625&sr=1-7

I have not read it yet, but intend to asap. Some of his books have woo-ish titles such as the one above and especially "Quantum Memory Power", but the techniques he teaches to people and his own Dominic system are absolutely great. I have read the book "How To Pass Exams" and it is a very good introduction to basic and easy to learn systems and also to the more complicated ones such as the Dominic system.

Definitely worth your time.

[AgeGap]

Derron Browns book Tricks of the Mind has a chapter on memory. This should be enough, but if not, a recommended reading list is included.

This book is cheap, easy to find and easily usable.

Google "memory palace" and see what you find and what suits you.

This is an example I used
If anybody has any upcoming study I can not recommend highly enough Derren Browns Tricks of the Mind. It has a chapter on memory that illustrates several 'tricks' on remembering.
For example learning this list.
Time, radiation, onset, character, aggravating factors, relieving factors, severity.
One of the techniques he gives is to go on a memory journey. Here is mine for the above list. The trick is to make the images vivid as you travel on your journey.
I open my door with my keys that have a clock keyring (time) and go into the front room and it has a very hot radiator (radiation). Through to the back room a train set(onset) is on the table. Going up the stairs I squeeze past somebody in a Mickey Mouse costume (character) and find my way to the bedroom blocked by someone who is aggravating (aggravating factors). Into the bedroom and the bed is comforting (relieving factors) but look out of the window to see a severed head (severity).

Also known as method of loci.

[Ashles]

Agree completely with AgeGap on Derren Brown's book.

The chapter by itself, if you make the effort to follow the techniques, can be immensely powerful.

Two weeks after I read the book I had a management training course in which we had to learn several pages of text for a test on the first day of the course. I read it once on the train on the way to the course and scored ninety percent in the test by using the techniques he described.

In a class of 16 people only one other person attained above the 75% pass mark (and she was going out with the trainer - I'm not saying she cheated, more that she felt a need to do well so really studied hard).
In reality you weren't supposed to pass it it the start of the course, but only after some further training to reinforce the content.

The only thing is that it does require imagination, and in order to retain the knowledge and skills you do have to keep practising.

It is so amazingly useful for remembering numbers and, that much underappreciated skill, remembering the names of people as you meet them.

[Eddie Dane]

I'm so bad at remembering faces and names that I'm starting to see it as problem.
God, I've offended a lot of people by not recognising them. (including a woman I'd slept with:D)

If I could improve my people recognising skill, it would greatly benefit my work which is starting to involve a lot of networking.

I was bookish kid, so I guess my social skills are a bit underdeveloped.

[Kuko 4000]

Yeah, I actually found out about Dominic O'Brien through Derren's book Tricks of the Mind. He described Dominic as "probably the top memory expert in the world today".

Eddie, there are very effective techniques re: faces <-> names too :)

[Soapy Sam]

Lorayne made one thing very clear. If it don't go in, it won't come out.
The most important part of remembering is taking the time to do it.
Of course, you have to remember to take the time...

[the_smasher]

I've read that physical exercise can help improve memory in older people. Might be something to look into, but I don't have a link handy.

[AgeGap]

Some people just can't recognise faces.:(

There was a programme on UK TV about teaching to genius level. They MRIed people who could not recognise faces. A physical cause was shown. The programme was about a female chess player who was taught by her mathematician father. The place were faces are remembered was the place she stored chess moves and board layouts.
Can't find it via google video.

Edit :My Brilliant Brain - Make Me A Genius

on google video about 40mins in.