Cognitive memory and knowledge of the real world develop and accumulate as children get older (John Locke). Newborn babies can remember things for a short time, infants remember events for days or weeks at a time, and older children can remember things for longer periods (Kali, 2015, p._). As an individual grows older he/she is required to remember more complex information and consequently he/she develops strategies that help to accurately recall information needed to fulfill his/her daily commitments. Personally, I have used many methods of memorization at different stages and circumstances of my life, but the memory strategies that I have used most often, especially in college, include rehearsal, organization, writing, and elaboration. …show more content…
I have a series of questions that I pose when I am studying Biology, for example. When studying for a Biology class I always make sure that I structure my notes to answer the following sequence; what is it? This includes the definition and who discovered it. What is it made of and what are its functions? On what does it act? What is the mechanism of action? What are the conditions that affect/deter its action? When I have answered all of these questions I know that I have a good understanding of the subject. Organization helps me to establish an efficient and clear path to the solution of problems and I have found that without organization it is much more difficult to comprehend and retain what I have studied. When a student has poor time management shills he/she does not have the time to organize her/his notes and consequently cannot score well on exams for which he/she has crammed hours before the …show more content…
Elaboration includes the development of acronyms that are funny and have special significance to my life experiences, thus making it easier for me to recall new information. I use elaboration to learn such information as the classification of organisms in my beginning Biology class. There are many acronyms that people use to remember domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. But I use one that is reminiscent of my trips to the island where my mom grew up. I took beginning biology two years ago and I still remember the classification of organisms. The phrase is “sea grapes fall on close, pretty, kind, donkeys”. Anyone who is familiar with the islands would be familiar with the flower- clad donkeys close to the beaches, and would chuckle at the thought of donkeys wearing crowns of flowers on their