Short term memory & Long term memory

Assimilation is the mental process whereby new information is linked to the nearest or closest match to what has already been learned. For example, lets say you read an article on reproduction in rabits. You are already familiar on reproduction in humans so you simply need to take the new information and link it to the old. When you are able to do this, the ability to retain the new information is greatly improved.

One of the best ways to improve short term memory by assimilation is to use a mnemonic device. A mnemonic device can be anything that will help you relate new knowledge to previous learned knowledge.

K P C O F G S

For this to work, there has to already be prior learned information of the words: kingdom, phylum, class etc. because the new information is assimilated in with the old. By linking this new knowledge with something already learned, it will help cement the new knowledge into the memory banks of the brain.

For more mnemonic devices and to contribute your own, click HERE.

2) Using sensory clues to improve memory retention.

The more of your five senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting) you can employ in learning new information the better chance you will have of moving information from your short term memory to your long term memory. For example, it is often difficult for my biology students to remember which type of cell division is mitosis and which is meiosis. In cellular reproduction, mitosis is the division and reproduction of all the cells in the body except for the reproductive cells (sperm and egg). Meiosis, on the other hand, is the cellular reproduction of the reproductive cells. To help my students remember which is which I tell them to point to their big toe and say mitosis emphasizing the word so it sounds like, "my toe is". Once they have established the relationship between their toe and the word mitosis, I tell them to remember that the cells in their big toe are definitely not their reproductive cells. Since the cells in their big toe are not reproductive cells then they are the non-reproductive cells and they divide by the process of mitosis and not meiosis.

3) Using kinesthetic or tactile activities to improve memory retention.

4) Repetition and accomodation

Let's not forget the old standby of simply repeating the information over and over. Sometimes this is the only way you will be able to retain information, especially if you do not already have something previously learned that you can link it to (assimilation).

When learning something completely new, such as a foreign language, simple repetition is basically the only way. You might get lucky and find a few things that you can assimilate as you learn but it will likely be the exception to the rule.