Learning new vocabulary can be time consuming and tedious for even the most enthusiastic of language learners, so finding an effective way to memorise new words is a top priority for many students. But what is the best way to remember new words?

Is it flash cards, word families, spatial recognition, starting with the easy words, total immersion, visual images, cramming vocabulary lists until your brain begs for mercy? Well you can stop wondering. Memory scientists have launched a competition to find the best method of remembering – and you can volunteer to take part in the big memory experiment!

The Memprize Memory Experiment

Ed Cooke is one of the scientists behind the great memory test. A Grand Master of Memory, Cooke founded the online learning programme Memrise.

Memprize is the new experiment launched by the Memrise programme. Memprize is putting five memory techniques to the test using 10,000 volunteers to find the best method of remembering vocabulary.

 

20 techniques were proposed by teams of scientists involved in the programme and the five finalists have now been chosen. Volunteers entering the experiment will use one of the five programmes to learn 80 foreign words in an hour. The language that volunteers will learn is a secret, but it is sure to be reasonably obscure.

The volunteers will then be tested on those words one week later to determine which technique has been the most successful. The winning memory technique will win $10,000 for its team of creators.

 

The Best Method of Remembering 

Cooke said: “While science has done incredible things in identifying ways of learning things, no one has really asked the question, ‘what is the best way of combining these tools together?’ So we decided to set up an applied cognitive science competition, and approached all the top memory science labs in the world.”

One of the most significant factors in all of the tests is that they make good use of repetition and testing.

It seems that testing a learner regularly does not improve recall immediately after the presentation of new words and their original memorising, but it does have an impact one week later. This act of repetition is an important factor in the creation of the best method of remembering.

However, the winning memory technique will not simply be the one with the best recall rate. The experiment will also take into account the dropout rate of students. No one will want to use a technique if it is too tedious, so Memprize is making sure the best method of remembering will be engaging and fun.

The Five Best Memory Techniques  

So what are the five top learning techniques being tested in the Memprize experiment?

1. Guessing and correction

Guess the meaning of a new word before you know it. Just having a guess in this way, and then being corrected, makes you more likely to remember the right meaning next time.

2. Repetition

Aggressive repetition called ‘mega-grilling’ means repeating a word 30 times through active recall. This ‘30 times’ rule makes new words stick around much longer. For example, when introduced a new person, repeating their name many times will help you remember it.

3. Creating a mnemonic

A mnemonic is any learning technique that aids information retention. Link a new word with another word in your mind – whatever the word sounds like to you. Connecting the word to your existing knowledge helps it stay in your memory.

4. Spatial recognition

Link a new word to a place in a house or a room. Attaching the word to a specific place creates a spatial link that works to create a stable memory.

5. Relaxation

Simply relaxing while trying to memorize words helps you remember them. Take a short break while studying to relax the mind by watching a calming scene, such as a waterfall. The idea is that by relaxing the brain you create more space for new memories.

The British Test Team

The British team, a collaboration of scientists from University College London and Oxford, use an algorithm to determine the easiest vocabulary. These easy words are used first in a continuous test. Once these first easy words are learned by the volunteers, the more difficult words are introduced into the test.

Hannah Tickle, a PhD student at UCL, commented: “One of the things that we are keen on is the idea that you can tailor learning to an individual and make it generalisable.”

It is hoped the competition will help to find a useful learning tool for all students around the world, helping them find the best method of remembering, whether they are learning languages or other subjects.

 

The Future of Learning 

Cooke hopes to run the competition for a decade, with improvements made to the winning technique every year. This could mean vast improvements in learning methods in a short space of time, which will lead us to discover the best method of remembering.

Memory techniques are already in use in niche areas such as memorising a pack of cards – a feat which now takes only 21 seconds for the world record memory master.

By applying similar techniques to practical learning, such as language learning, Cooke hopes we can find the best method of remembering, which could result in students learning four times faster than current rates.

To join in the Memprize experiment and become a volunteer, head to the website memprize.com and sign up for your one hour memory challenge.

If you sign up to become a tester at Memprize, don’t forget to let us know how you get on in the comments box!

Idioms about memory and remembering

There are many idioms, phrases and sayings related to memory and the act of remembering. Here are some common ones:

‘To jog your memory’ – to remember. If something ‘jogs your memory’, it reminds you of something.

‘Take a trip down memory lane’ – to reminisce. This is when you look back at the past and remember events, usually fondly.

‘Elephants never forget‘ – elephants are said to have excellent memories.

‘To slip your mind’ – to forget. If something ‘slips your mind’, you have forgotten it, but now remember it. E.g  “Ah yes, that must have slipped my mind. I remember that now”. (This phrase is usually used only for forgetting minor details that aren’t important).

‘To ring a bell’ – to feel familiar to you. If something ‘rings a bell’, you remember it vaguely, but not in detail.

Share your thoughts

Do you think imagining a waterfall would help you remember difficult vocabulary?

Which of the five methods in the Memprize test do you think is the best method of remembering?