MemorySystemsComparison

This page attempts to summarise the systems used to memorise by a selection of people who are excellent memorisers.

There are many differences between different memory systems; some of these differences are likely to matter a great deal for how effective the memory system is, and some not. For example, when memorising numbers, in the DominicSystem, the number 1 is represented by the letter A, whereas in the MajorSystem, the number 1 is represented by a letter T or D. Does this difference make a difference to how effective each system is? Almost certainly not - how each letter corresponds to a different number is arbitrary and any combination is likely to be as good as any other once it has been learned.

The differences we are interested in are in what each memorist actually does when they remember things. Are the mental pictures they form complicated or simple? Do they involve people, places, actions, or a combination of these? What features are there in common between the methods used by the most effective memorists out there?

In the classifications below, the systems are classified by "Peg" and "Mnemonic". To explain this terminology, suppose we are learning a list of 10 playing cards. The "Mnemonic" means the type of thing we use to represent the playing cards. For example:

• If the memorist uses a person, John Travolta to represent the Jack of Spades, the mnemonic is a "person".
• If the memorist uses an item such as a shovel, to represent the Jack of Spades, the mnemonic is an "item"
• If the memorist uses an action, such as dancing, to represent the jack of spades, the mnemonic is an "action". Memorists may use combinations of these, e.g. person/action.

The "Peg" is the memory image used to distinguish each item in the list. If the Peg is a location, it means that the images representing the 10 cards are each imagined in a different location.

The evidence below shows that many of the very best memory performers, and particularly those with memory world records in championships, use very similar systems, which suggests that this might be the "best" system. The evidence suggests the following tentative conclusions about what might be the "best" system:

• Mental images are stored in imagined locations (known as the method of Loci or Journey method)
• People (rather than inanimate objects) are often used in forming images
• The images formed are usually quite simple (rather than long, elaborate stories)

The field of memorising is notorious for exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims, so I have tried to stick to people who have demonstrated good memories (e.g. in competitions), and cited sources indicating what systems they say they use.

If you have further knowledge of what systems leading memorists use, please add it below with sources if possible.

-- ThufirHawat - 27th August 2008

The memorists and their systems are as follows:

Harry Lorrayne (Memory performer)

• Peg: Item (usually object, sometimes person)
• Mnemonic: Item (usually object, sometimes person)
• Source: "How to develop a super-power memory", by Harry Lorrayne

Dominic O'Brien (World Memory Champion)

• Peg: Location
• Mnemonic: Person, Action (and sometimes more complicated)
• Sources: "How to develop a perfect memory" and other books by Dominic

Andi Bell (World Memory Champion)

• Mnemonic: Person, Action, Object
• Peg: Location
• Additional comments: From his discriptions, Andi's mental images have a two dimensional "cartoon like" quality. He often gives meaning to whereabouts an object is in the image; for example, if he is memorising three objects, he will arrange them from left to right in the mental image.
• Source: Andi Bell's "Memory Pack"

Jonathan Hancock (World Memory Champion)

• Peg: Location, Story in "story" format
• Mnemonic: Item, adjective (e.g. colour)
• Source: "Jonathan Hancock's Mindpower System"
• Comment: Jonathan's "stories" are more elaborate than those typically used by other memory competitors.

Gunther Karsten (Regular top 5 finisher in World Memory Championships)

• Peg: Location
• Mnemonic: Person, Action
• Source: http://www.memorise.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=143&sid=1e7755351a109c85e2429388ba475fda

Ben Pridmore (World Memory Champion)

• Peg: Location
• Mnemonic: Items; he apparently uses a complicated variant of the major system that gives vowels meaning as well as consonants
• Source: http://memoryconsulting.com/pridmore.htm
• Comments: Ben uses more memory images than most; e.g. for numbers he groups digits into 3 digit numbers, for which he has a thousand images (this contrasts with, say, Dominic O'Brien who uses two digit numbers needing only 100 images).

Scott Hagwood

• Peg: Location (probably)
• Mnemonic: Person plus action/image (probably)
• Source: http://www.failuremag.com/arch_flop_total_recall.html

SEM3 (Tony Buzan, writer on mental performance and memory)

• Peg: Item
• Mnemonic: Item
• Source: "Master your memory" by Tony Buzan
• Comment: I have never heard of an example of a leading memoriser using this system successfully for impressive memory feats (e.g. in memory competition)

Classical memory systems (Greek and Roman)

• Peg: Location (nearly always)
• Mnemonic: Various (depending on source)
• Source: "The Art of memory" by Frances A Yates gives a comprehensive description of each system.

Comments

Excellent work, Thufir! I'm amazed and impressed by the amount of work you've been putting into the wiki lately. This page is frighteningly good. :) Thank you.

-- Ron Hale-Evans [[DateTime?(2008-08-27T18:36:54Z)]]

Thanks! And thank you for setting up this wiki in the first place, it's a great idea and it fills a niche - there is no other wiki like it on the internet. -- ThufirHawat