Scientific Secrets for a Powerful Memory

By: Peter M. Vishton, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Peter M. Vishton

Memory is, without a doubt, the most powerful (and practical) tool of everyday life. By linking both your past and your future, memory gives you the power to plan, to reason, to perceive, and to understand.

Yet while all of us have an amazing capacity for memory, there are plenty of times when it seems to fail us. Why does this happen? And how can you fix it? In Scientific Secrets for a Powerful Memory, you’ll explore the real research on how memory functions - and then apply these findings to help you make better use of the memory abilities you have. By tapping into a series of scientifically proven strategies, tricks, and techniques, and by practicing them through dynamic exercises, you’ll emerge from the end of this short course with the ability to process information more effectively and to increase your chance of remembering almost anything you want.

©2012 The Great Courses (P)2012 The Teaching Company, LLC

Word it out

you're more likely to remember if you practice wording the sequence, and layering them instead of trying to do it one by one. idk why, but it does work

good, but there are better books on these topics

if you are interested in mneumonic techniques, see Harry Lorayne's the memory book or, his 'How to improve your memory' if you want a short audiobook. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua foer was fun if you want a narrative about memory competitions along with some instructions.

with regards to false memories and many other mental biases and errors covered in behavioral economics 'thinking fast and slow' by Daniel kahneman is required reading if you haven't read it yet. there are many fantastic books on that topic but that one is a real treasure. it is like a manual for your brain's foibles.

all that said, if you are looking for something quick and concise this Great course is pretty great! he did cover a bunch of stuff about the basics of how memory works that I can't think of a better source for that I've read (one probably exists though :) And I hadn't heard of the Ebbinghaus forgetting function or its history, so that was a great takeaway from this course for me and made it worth buying.

A couple techniques, if you'll practice

Extremely short (3hr). There's some information on how memories are stored (and forgotten), and some strategies on how to remember things, chiefly random digits.
This book didn't have to be so short. Lots of material to cover.
Not bad, but mostly useful to people who want to intensively practice memory techniques.

Helpful overview with specifics

Had a number of concepts that I’m familiar with but appreciated the cumulative effect of adding them up. Thought the instructor was good and the course while only 6 lectures was just detailed enough to really have an effect on me. Thank you.

Great

This is solid. I wish it was longer. I highly recommend it to anyone. More please.