Coding mnemonics are the most effective means of memorizing numbers and can also be used to dramatically extend the value of the pegword method discussed here last week.
First-letter mnemonics, on the other hand, are most effective for learning the order of well-learned information and can also be useful for overcoming memory blocks. And the story method is an effective means of learning lists.
Coding mnemonics
Coding mnemonics are used for encoding numbers. Because words are much easier for most of us to remember, a system that transforms numbers into letters is one of the best ways for remembering numbers — as seen in the modern innovation of encoding phone numbers into letters (0800-ANSETT).
A coding system is very useful for remembering numbers, but it must be said that few people have sufficient need to memorize long numbers to make the initial cost of learning the code acceptable.
The coding system’s main value, in fact, is as a source of pegs for the pegword system. By allowing numbers to be encoded as easily remembered words, the number of pegs can be extended from ten into infinity. Lists of such pegwords are available in various memory improvement techniques.
Nevertheless, mastery of such a system requires a very large investment of time and effort, as well as a facility for image creation. But if you decide that the pegword strategy is for you, you should certainly increase its value by learning a coding system.
Such systems have been suggested for memorizing various information such as appointments, birthdays, and anniversaries. All of that said, there is no evidence that mnemonic strategies are particularly effective for tasks in the planning memory domain, and some people find external strategies — diaries, calendars, watch alarms — more dependable and easier to use.
