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Memory substitution method - how to make
things easy to remember
And harder to forget!
The substitution method is one of the keys to memory improvement.It is learning how to
substitute a hard-to-remember thing for something that reminds you of it and can be
visualised.
When a word does not represent something that can be visualised, then we have to
substitute something for the word. Something that will remind us of the word.
For example, we can imagine a submarine to represent substitution. The submarine
reminds us of substitution. Of course, you would use your own word for this.
If we had to remember words like substitution, substantial, subliminal, etc, then the
use of the submarine ( a sub) would not do! We might do the following, if we wanted to be
precise (our true memory works to make us precise usually, but here we might want to
'spell out' the whole word in visual code).
| substitution |
Imagine a submarine sitting (stit - sit)
you down (u) and to watch a huge train shunting (tion) a
little carriage. |
| substantial |
Imagine a sub' that looks like an old lady standing
up and putting on a shawl. |
| subliminal |
Imagine a sub waving its arms (limbs)
before a group of other subs, and saying 'There is a sub in all of us.' |
It is often unnecessary to use a symbol to give more than the essential clue to
the word you are looking for, but using Creative Memory, you can be very detailed.
Remember the following ten words:
- excellent
- interesting
- economics
- pointless
- erratic
- circumstantial
- epitomy
- biology
- premier
- doting
Test how well you did. Then read the following and try again. Remember to use your own
images rather than mine, if they seem more natural.
| |
|
|
| excellent |
The key image is a big tick - excellent! The big
tick grows some enormouse eyes (interesting). |
Imagine eggs selling a giant ant. A policeman
arrives and the ant screams, 'You int arresting me are you?' |
| interesting |
The eyes are looking at a pile of money
(economics). |
The sound echoes so loudly, a pile of comics
fall down onto the floor going everywhere. |
| economics |
The money is looking miserable because it isn't
square notes, but round coins. It is pointless. |
An old man with a stick pokes at the comics, but
they aren't pierced because the stick does not have a point. He jabs and jabs to no avail.
It is pointless! |
| pointless |
The money rolls after a rat that ticks (a rat
tic) as it runs. |
As he pokes one comic a rat pots up angrily and
starts to tick (or tic him off). |
| erratic |
The rat that ticks puts on a suit of armour
because it is being chased. It has a huge cucumber. (Sir Cucumber). |
It turned into a knight (Sir) and is armed with
a cucumber. It stands up and is wearing a shawl. |
| circumstantial |
The Knight steps back and falls in a hole. I am
in the hole and I compain bitterly that he has landed in 'a pit of me'. |
The Knight steps back and falls in a hole. I am
in the hole and I compain bitterly that he has landed in 'a pit of me'. |
| epitomy |
I look out of the pit and notice someone
disecting a frog. |
I look out and notice someone dissecting a frog.
An old man is selling logs. He says, 'Buy a loggy' and the dissector buys a log |
| biology |
The person dissecting the frog looks around and
sees the prime minister (the premier). |
When the old man has gone, the dissector notices
a 'pram with a big ear. 'What is it listening for', the dissector thinks. And why is the
prime minister in the 'pram? |
| premier |
The prime minister kneels down before a young
lady and looks at her dotingly |
The prime minister in the 'pram has a drawing
book and he is putting enormous dots on it. |
| doting |
|
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Note that the descriptions are a short description of the image involved. You can
add details, as you like to make the story. The first column uses symbols, such as a tick
for excellent which are good enough for me to remember the words. The second column
actually puts almost everything into the story, so there is fewer demands on the 'true
memory' to remember whether the word is, for example, 'premier' or 'prime minister'. The
true memory usually makes the right distinction, however.
While you can quickly scan a mental image, it takes a lot of words to describe that
image (or movie). When written down the method appears to be extremely complex when it is
really very simple and fast.
If you hesitate as you try to recall the next part of the story, then strengthen your
association. Make an image bigger or smaller, or give it more action.
Next: Creative memory using symbols |