Method of loci
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Method of loci
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Re: Method of loci
#2There is a great TED talk about this: http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_...
Re: Method of loci
#3There is a great TED talk about this: http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_...
And a great book called Moonwalking with Einstein
Re: Method of loci
#4About halfway during an Introduction to Psychology exam in college (and this was told to the class ahead of time), the professor told us to close our exam booklets and listen to a list of 20 things, having the class using the Method of loci to remember them. Afterwards, students had to write it down the list in order in their test booklet. The question was worth as many points, with any out-of-order mistake forfeiting the rest of the points for the list.
Somehow, I managed to get everything correct.
Re: Method of loci
#5There is a great TED talk about this: http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_...
And a great book called Moonwalking with Einstein
Yes, it is a great read.
I heard about the "Memory Palace" on BBC's Sherlock. Holmes says that you can theoretically remember everything (I think this was in the episode The Hounds of Baskerville). I then happened upon this book via gatesnotes[0], and picked it up.
The author is quite successful in learning and putting this technique to use. He reaches the finals of the USA Memory Championship. However, he says this at the end - "For all the memory stunts I could now perform, I was still stuck with the same old shoddy memory that misplaced car keys and cars. Even while I had greatly expanded my powers of recall for the kinds of structured information that could be crammed into a memory palace, most of the things I wanted to remember in my everyday life were not facts or figures or poems or playing cards or binary digits."
It seems this method can help in memorizing things you consciously put effort to remember. This becomes easier as you practice. But if you were thinking of using this to remember every point of your life, as in where you placed your car keys this morning, or where you left your phone, things get murky - like what the Author mentioned. Although I do wonder how many people would try doing that.
0: http://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Moonwalking-with-Einstein
Re: Method of loci
#6I'm really curious about building a virtual memory palace for VR. Seems there would be many possibilities to make memorizing more effective.
Some common techniques like following a predetermined path through a palace and imagining diffrent unique objects and scenes at fixed locations along that path could be really nicely visualized.
I would think you could benefit a lot from actually beeing able to explore and fully take in a memory palace while feeling like you're actually present with VR.
Re: Method of loci
#7I took the Jonathan Levi Superlearner course on Udemy about a year ago and the Loci method is a key part of this course.
I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in this topic.
I can say that it's extremely useful for remembering lists of things, but I haven't had a lot of success in using it to retain or organize abstract information.
Re: Method of loci
#8I'm really curious about building a virtual memory palace for VR. Seems there would be many possibilities to make memorizing more effective. Some common techniques like following a predetermined path through a palace and imagining diffrent unique objects and scenes at fixed locations along that path could be really nicely visualized. I would think you could benefit a lot from actually beeing able to explore and fully…
If you are a really visual person, perhaps. I would want all sorts of other senses in addition though. Being able to lay my hands on the brickwork and hear how sounds are affected by walls would be important parts for me.
On the other hand, a palace in VR has the benefit of not getting demolished, and being accessible even if you move to another country.
I understand that fictional locales were used as palaces for this reason. For instance, Dante's circles of hell.
Edit: corrected an inexplicable typo (had 'and' for 'hands')
Re: Method of loci
#9I took the Jonathan Levi Superlearner course on Udemy about a year ago and the Loci method is a key part of this course. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in this topic. I can say that it's extremely useful for remembering lists of things, but I haven't had a lot of success in using it to retain or organize abstract information.
>I can say that it's extremely useful for remembering lists of things, but I haven't had a lot of success in using it to retain or organize abstract information.
I think the fact that these techniques have died out is some evidence that they are not actually very useful.
Re: Method of loci
#10People who watch BBC Sherlock should be familiarized with it :)