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We all forget things; there is no doubt about it. But when it comes to language learning it is quite painful to see the precious vocabulary you have learned fade over time, isn’t it? To stop this, you should learn how our memory works.

There are three stages:

• Encoding (How you form memories)

• Storage (How you retain memories)

• Retrieval (How you recall memories)

Encoding

This first stage is when you try to get new words to stick! It requires selecting an item and focusing your attention on that lexical item to be remembered. Although it may sound obvious, it is important to realize that the strength of your purpose and motivation for remembering something can have a significant effect on how successfully that item is encoded.

Did you know that tangible things are easier to encode than abstract concepts? This is because we use words to express our thoughts but we think in pictures. When you hear the word “cat”, do you think of the three letters c-a-t or do you picture a cat. You see a cat, in fact you can probably call to mind many different cats of all shapes and sizes and breeds. When you hear the word “psychology” what do you see? Probably not much because abstract concepts are difficult to visualize and therefore are harder to encode.

Visual Encoding

Sometimes you should associate even abstract concepts with tangible concepts. For instance, if you can’t picture the word “loyalty” as an object in your head, try and think of a dog as a symbol of loyalty; you can even draw the picture of a dog next to the word.

Auditory Encoding

This technique means placing emphasis on the sound of words, names, or the sounds associated with things. Auditory encoding also occurs when you vocalize a written word by saying it outloud. For example, the word “splash”, when you pronounce it, sounds really like the action itself.

Listen to the sound of splashing

Other Primary Senses

Yes, it is weird! But try touching an actual piece of “velvet” cloth to feel the word and learn it much better.

Contextual Encoding

Have you ever stopped to think why the words you learn in your English class and from your favourite teacher or a classmate stick very well? The reason is the context. Therefore, you should take advantage of your class time and learn as much as you can because chances are you will not forget what you learn.

Personal Relevance

Making information personally relevant can deepen its encoding. Let’s say the word you are trying to learn is the adjective “cozy”. One way to personalize it is to relate it to your own life; for example, write this sentence next to it: “My bedroom is really cozy.”

Repetition

We all know that if you read, write, or speak something repeatedly it can be committed to memory. But spaced repetition is even more effective. Learn more about this in this IELTS Juice lesson.

Storage

This means keeping your memories in, and can be catogorized into “sensory memory”, “short term memoery” and “long term memory”. But there is not much you can do to improve your brain’s storage capabilities, so we are not going to discuss it here.

Retrieval

Simply put, it means getting your memories out when you need them. Have you ever experienced a tip-of-the-tongue episode when you know you have the answer but are unable to retrieve it from memory? Or times when you can’t recall the answer where can i buy gabapentin in the UK to a question but can pick it from a multiple choice list. These common occurrences illustrate the difference between storage and retrieval. The information is in memory but you are having difficulty retrieving it.

The main reason why you will be unable to recall information from memory is because the information was never thoroughly encoded in the first place!

Retrieval also depends on ‘how’ the information was encoded. If something was encoded visually and you are trying to recall it by an alternate method, it will be more difficult. If you have learned the word lion, for instance, visually, you might have trouble remembering it by “hearing” the word. So a combination of encoding methods works best.

Your turn now!

Do you have any personal techniques that help you remember things better? Please leave a comment below and share them with others. Thank you.