High-efficiency memory method of the University of Tokyo

Chapter 3 3 Steps to Efficient Memory: Associative Repeated Application (1)
Understand the basic steps of memory

Hearing the same thing, some people can remember it, some people can't remember it

The three most important magic weapons when remembering are:

① Lenovo;
② Repeat;
③ application.

The number one magic weapon of memory is Lenovo.It refers to the practice of connecting new things you want to remember with old things you already know, or connecting multiple new things you want to remember.

People can remember things by association.In order to remember these things, it is necessary to connect and recite the knowledge you want to remember.At this time, there are many ways to associate.For example, you can associate from the level of meaning, you can associate from the level of causality, you can also associate from the level of place, and so on.The more associative methods, the stronger the memory.

The second magic weapon of memory is repetition.Repetition is repetition, review.

Humans are forgetful animals.If we only associate it once or twice, we will gradually fade or forget it over time.To strengthen memory, we need to strengthen associations through review, and we need to add new associations.

The third magic weapon of memory is application.Application is performance.Telling others about something you remember, or writing it down for others to see, are applications.Therefore, the application can also be said to communicate with people using remembered things.

Communicating with people adds new associations that better strengthen our memories.

The above is a brief description of the three magic weapons for strengthening memory.By making good use of these magic weapons, we can retain knowledge.In the rest of this chapter, we will learn in depth how to apply the three magic weapons of "association", "repetition" and "application".

Section content:

By making good use of the three magic weapons of "association", "repetition" and "application", we can easily remember knowledge.

Preparation before memorization: clarifying the knowledge to be memorized

Put aside the parts that don't need to be remembered this time

Before applying magic tools such as "Lenovo", "Repeat", and "Apply", we need to do some preparatory work, that is, to clarify which parts need to be remembered this time and which parts do not need to be remembered for the time being.

For example, you need to memorize a collection of English words.This vocabulary collection includes Japanese translations, pronunciation, spelling, example sentences, and much more.

At this point, if we don't make it clear which parts we want to focus on remembering, we will plunge in and start from the first word.Using this method usually does not have very good results.Therefore, we must first sort out what is the thing to remember.

For example, we decided to just memorize the spelling and pronunciation this time.In this way, the part to be remembered is clarified, and the other parts can be put aside first. "Translation and example sentences" and other content can be memorized next time.

After this tidying up, we made it clear what to remember.Starting from here, we can really enter the three memory steps of "association", "repetition" and "application".

Section content:

Make it clear which parts need to be remembered this time and which parts do not need to be remembered for the time being.

It's hard to remember something if it's still vague

The vaguer the thing to remember, the harder it is for us to remember.It is said that this is because the human brain has a characteristic that it does not want to remember complicated things.For a thing, if we are still vague about whether to recite it or not, it is difficult to remember this thing.

Therefore, we first need to sort out the knowledge to be remembered, and judge whether it is to be remembered here or not to be remembered here.This step is very important.After the judgment is completed, the part that is determined not to be memorized must be resolutely given up.

In fact, what is mentioned here is similar to the law of improving memory mentioned in Chapter 1.In other words, it is determined that the knowledge to be remembered is knowledge that is both simple and likely to appear.What we have to remember is these parts that can improve our memory.

The following is the specific method of how to remember.

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For a thing, if we can't even remember it or not, it is difficult to remember it.

Lenovo 1
Association helps improve memory
Associating things you already know makes it easier to unearth fragments of memory

Why Lenovo can improve people's memory?
That's because, when we need to remember new knowledge, if there is something that we already know and can immediately recall that can be associated with this new knowledge, it will be easier for us to remember this new knowledge.

Human memory capacity is huge.In real life, we remember all kinds of things.However, it often happens that when we need to apply the knowledge in our memory, we can't remember it.For example, forget people's names, forget events, forget English words, and so on.

In fact, that information has always been in a certain corner of our brains, and it has not disappeared, but it has not been dug out.Therefore, when we say we can't remember, it's often not that we really don't remember, but that we just can't remember.

Therefore, when we start to remember, we must think about what to use to wake up this memory.This point is very important.And the way to do that is Lenovo.Connect the things we want to remember with the things we have already remembered and can think of immediately, and let the latter become clues, which can help us quickly recall something we want to remember.

In fact, when we remember something, we often make associations unconsciously.Once we find the object of association, we can quickly remember it.

For example, let's think about what we should do when we recite the English word chickpea.

The word means chickpeas, another name for chickpeas.Then, people who know the connection of "chicken→chick" and "beans→pea" can immediately remember this word.

People who can't remember "bean → pea" can think that the English word for bean is pea, and there is something called persimmon in Japanese snacks. It not only has beans in its raw materials, but also has a similar shape to beans.After this association, the word can be remembered.This is the so-called mnemonic method of associating with what you already know.

In addition, people who have seen the actual chickpea can also associate the word with the actual shape of the object.In this way, we can think of "oh, this bean is originally called 'chickpea' in English".

It's easier to remember if you relate the shape of the bean to the head of the chick.

Anyone who can relate to what he already knows and can recall immediately can find the knowledge he needs from the huge memory capacity.

Section content:

Therefore, when we say we can't remember, it's often not that we really don't remember, but that we just can't remember.

Knowing a variety of associative methods is the prerequisite for improving associative ability
When teaching students, I also use the method of association to let them recite new knowledge.That is to say, before class, I do some research on the students, find out what they already know, and then ask them to connect what they want to recite with what they already know.

The so-called hard to memorize, it is nothing more than not being able to find Lenovo.To get rid of this dilemma and remember knowledge easily, we need to quickly find the association object.

So what should we do?The way out is to master as many association methods as possible.If we know many kinds of association methods, we can make multiple attempts and find objects that can be associated more quickly.

Next, we introduce some association methods that can effectively improve memory.

Section content:

The way out is to master as many association methods as possible.

Lenovo 2
impression association

How should we remember abstract concepts

First, let me explain the most effective association method, which is the impression association method connected with what is actually happening.

For example, if you want to remember the English word run, imagine running, and then connect with that impression when you recite the word.This may be what everyone is doing unconsciously.

However, there are also some things that are hard to imagine as what actually happened.Abstract concepts are like that.

For example, there is an economic term called credit creation.Regarding the explanation of credit creation, "Guang Ci Yuan" wrote:
"Through repeated deposits and loans, banks issue loans several times that of deposits."

Such explanations are difficult to understand, and it is difficult to imagine what actually happened.It's hard to remember!How can we understand its meaning and firmly remember it?

① "Kōjien" is one of the most famous Japanese dictionaries in Japan, issued by Iwanami Shoten.

At this time, we must first consider "what kind of thing is it?"

In addition, if I remember this concept, I will give the following example to help understand.

First, suppose there is a bank.

At some point A deposits 10000 yen.The bank wants to lend the money out.If they are all loaned out, when A comes to withdraw money, the bank's funds may not be able to circulate.Therefore, the bank decides to keep 10%, or 1000 yen, and loan the remaining 9000 yen to B.

B uses the borrowed money to go shopping and pays shopkeeper C 9000 yen.Subsequently, C deposited another 9000 yen in the bank.The bank decided to lend the money out again.Like last time, the bank keeps 10% of the total amount, which is 900 yen, and lends 8100 yen to D.

So, at this time, what is the total amount of bank loans? 9000 yen (B) + 8100 yen (D) = 17000 million yen.In this process, the starting point is A's deposit of 10000 yen in the bank (this is called the original deposit), but the loan amount has increased a lot.Deposits and loans are so repeated that the amount of bank loans will continue to increase.This is called credit creation.

Be sure to keep your examples as simple as possible so that it's easier to understand what's actually going on.In this way, after gaining impressions and making associations, and then looking back at the explanation of "credit creation" in "Guangciyuan", is this term easier to remember?
Lenovo 3
experiential association

Connecting with your own experience can speed up memory

Another way is to connect with your own experience.

Using this method, first consider what you want to remember and what kind of experience you have, and then connect what you want to remember with that experience.

For example, vocabulary such as profit and profit margin mentioned in class when I was in school.These words are not easy to remember.

After entering the society and being in the business world, we really feel the meaning of these words.Interestingly, when we learn accounting knowledge again after leaving the campus, these knowledge can enter the brain unimpeded.

This happens because we have accumulated practical experience of accounting in our minds and have been able to connect these experiences to those words.

Can relate to all past, present, or future experiences

The example just now is a way to connect with your past experience.Beyond that, there are ways to relate to present or future experiences.They also improve memory.

First, give an example of how to relate to the current experience.

For example, if you want to remember the English word run, first try to run slowly, and then try to make a sound of "I'mrunning.I'mrunning." (I am running. I am running.).In this way, the English word run can be associated with the experience of running now, and the word can be easily remembered.

This memory method is very effective for language learning.

Next, take a look at an example that connects to future experiences.

For example, we are studying the content of the judicial examination.Why study the content of the judicial examination?The reason is that I want to be a lawyer in the future.

If so, let us first imagine ourselves as a lawyer, and then read out the legal terms we want to remember.In this way, we associate the legal language with the future experience that we may experience in the future (even so, we still need to pass the judicial examination...).

This approach is like a dress rehearsal for your future self.Because of this, I call this memory technique a mental rehearsal.Using the method of mental rehearsal to memorize, not only can you remember difficult technical terms, but you can also blurt out the memorized knowledge without thinking when there are scenes that are the same or similar to those sketched during the rehearsal.

Section content:

There are also ways to relate to the experience of "now" or "future".

Lenovo 4
causal association

connect unrelated things together

Causal association, or the way you link cause and effect, improves memory.

Think, for example, of the natural terrain we have to remember when learning geography.Maybe most of your textbooks use the following classification arrangement: mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers, and plains are plains.

"Geography" Lesson [-] "Mountains"

Yubari Mountains, Ou Mountains, Echigo Mountains, Kiso Mountains, Chugoku Mountains, Chikushi Mountains...

"Geography" Lesson [-] "Rivers"

Ishikari River, Tone River, Shinano River, Kumano River, Yoshino River, Ota River, Chikugo River...

"Geography" Lesson [-] "Plains"

Ishikari Plain, Shonai Plain, Kanto Plain, Osaka Plain, Hiroshima Plain, Chikushi Plain...

However, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers, and plains are plains. This kind of classification and juxtaposition is difficult to remember.Because, for students, such a classification is a mechanical classification, and it is not easy to remember.

The knowledge we have to remember is often mechanically classified in this way.If you memorize it intact, it will often take a lot of effort, so it is necessary for us to convert the knowledge that we have to remember from mechanical classification to natural classification.

One way to do natural classification is to apply causal association.For example, the process of forming various landforms has the following causal relationship.

The moisture-laden wind hits the mountains
↓

Clouds are formed, and the clouds cannot withstand the weight of moisture and become raindrops.

↓

Rainwater flows downhill, forming rivers
↓

The river flows with mud and forms a plain at the mouth of the river
↓

street on the plain

Use this causal relationship to reclassify geographical knowledge. "Ou Mountains → Kitakami River → Sendai Plains → Ishinomaki", "Echigo Mountains → Tone River → Kanto Plains → Choshi", "Shikoku Mountains → Yoshino River → Tokushima Plains → Tokushima"... In this way, we can use three groups Memorized.

In this way, it is much easier to remember by using causality to associate.

Since we want to connect cause and effect, it is necessary to imagine the cause and effect when reciting each group of knowledge.

Section content:

It is necessary for us to convert the knowledge we have to remember from mechanical classification to natural classification.

Lenovo 5
similar association

For myself, similar things are the most important

When you want to remember something, if you find something similar to it and associate it, it will be easier to remember.It is necessary to constantly associate with the things that are associated with memorizing.

For example, when memorizing a word, remember its antonyms and synonyms at the same time.The same is true for math problems, and it needs to be associated with other problem-solving methods and similar problem types.

In addition, when reviewing, you should also connect with similar things and strengthen associations, so that you will remember them more deeply.For example, when reviewing a question, at the same time think of another way to solve this question is...

To change other people's associations into your own
It should be noted here that if similar things are designed by others, it is not easy to remember.

The reason is simple.Those similar things are not actually branded in my mind, let alone associated.Because of this, when looking for similar things, you must use your brain to associate them.

Having said that, sometimes it is necessary to use similar things designed by others to remember some knowledge.Language falls into this category.

For example, the English word run has synonyms such as hurry, dash, race, sprint, tear, etc.The so-called synonyms are similar words.But when we first started learning English, we hardly knew a few words. Even if we knew them, the order of the words in our minds was messy, and we couldn't connect them at all.What should we do at this time?

At this time, we must first look up an English-English dictionary or an English-Japanese dictionary to clarify the meaning and impression of each word.At this time, the important thing is not the translation in the dictionary, but to find the "original translation" that matches your own feeling.If I were to do this, I would create an "original translation" as follows.

Hurry-"Desperately drive";
dash - "sudden run";
race - "race";
sprint - "sprint";
tear- "run in a hurry at a loss".

After finding your own "original translation", imagine the impression of each word based on it, and then connect those words like anime.Do this repeatedly, and at the same time connect the impression with the English word, and just read it out.

Memorizing in this way can connect English words together and form a similar phrase in your mind.

Section content:

When looking for similar things, you must use your brain to associate them.

Lenovo 6
time association method

Going back in time can recall a lot
We live with the passage of time every day. "This is what I did the day before yesterday, this is what I did yesterday, and this is what I did today..." If we dig out memory along the passage of time, we can always think of something.

This method of applying chronological order to event sorting is the "super sorting method" advocated by economist Yukio Noguchi.This method is not arranged according to meaning, but in chronological order.

(End of this chapter)