Memory training is derived from the Greek word μνήμη mnémē, memory, and is also under the term Mnemonics known. In order to make the training as effective and sensible as possible, a wide variety of techniques are used that improve the storage of information as well as the memorization and retention of this information. The popular donkey bridges are one such method from memory training.
What is memory training?
Memory training refers to all measures that promote and maintain cognitive skills in a playful and motivating way. This is done with memo techniques, special exercises to train and activate memory. Neuroplasticity enables healthy people to acquire knowledge and skills, but it also helps to pick up on pathological changes in the brain and to make better use of damaged areas of the brain or to activate intact areas. Neuroplasticity changes and repairs synapses and brain areas.
With cognitive training like memory training, these vital neuroplastic processes are stimulated. Cognitive training not only demands the efficiency of the brain and memory, but also other mental, cognitive functions such as concentration, judgment and language.
Function, effect & goals
Memory training is known in connection with older people and diseases such as dementia, but regular memory training is independent of age. The daily head nut or the Sudoku puzzle are important in everyday life. There are various techniques to improve mental performance, depending on the context or individual goals.
Memory training is particularly important in patients with dementia in the early stages, because consistent and targeted memory training can delay the course of the disease, but it can also improve the memory that is still available. Special attention is paid to the ability to concentrate and memory, but also word-finding skills and decision-making skills are important areas, especially when dealing with patients with dementia and helpful for relatives or caregivers and medical staff. Thinking in contexts and associative thinking are important. The memory training is also well suited for conveying a sense of achievement in the everyday life of older people, because it increases their self-esteem and integrates them into social life.
It also breaks boredom and keeps the vocabulary fit. Memory training begins with children with tried and tested games such as memory or dominoes as well as in the rehabilitation area. The brain is asked to exercise regularly using various techniques, and new synapses are formed in the process. A well-known example is the order of the planets, which with the sentence “My father explains our night sky to me every Sunday” makes the planets sound like the first letter of every word, starting from the sun. Memorization is much easier based on order, fixed order and pictures. With association chains, the learning terms are strung together and form a story.
Learning new languages and vocabulary is also easier if key words that sound similar are saved with an image. Another effective method in memory training is the so-called number-symbol system, in which consonants are assigned to the digits and thus receive a more memorable link. This is similarly based on the alphabet method, which is based on a memory structure that is linked to a permanently linked image. The Loci method is a well-known association technique from antiquity and the Middle Ages that can be used without much effort.
Each term has a fixed place, a variable, which is, however, subject to a certain structure. Simply explained: a walk can be designed for memorizing certain terms, for example, which is connected to points that are passed during this walk. However, these points are not real places or objects, but rather the required learning terms. The Memorial Palace works in a similar way.
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➔ Medicines against concentration disordersRisks, side effects & dangers
In general, there are no risks or side effects with memory training, but depending on the target group and their needs, care should be taken that memory training is based on free will and without pressure. There must not be excessive or insufficient demands and the exercises offered should correspond to the level of performance.
Sense is a playful challenge at any age and the promotion of cognitive abilities in general. In groups, pressure to perform can easily arise due to the speed of the other participants, which can have a counterproductive effect on increasing the actual goal. Above all, it can have a negative impact that those affected process their deficits negatively, although the memory training has a different intention. The focus is on fun and a balanced ratio of different levels of difficulty and requirements of the respective exercise in memory training. Another factor that is decisive is the daily constitution, because memory training can also be strenuous and so an exercise is much easier on one day than on the next.
Such fluctuations should be pointed out. To carry out a successful memory training, it is advisable to ventilate regularly and to drink water. Anyone who tries many methods of memory training and exercises will quickly notice which exercises they like. Nevertheless, care should be taken to complete exercises that are less valued, as experience shows that these exercises are particularly aimed at areas for which memory training is very important. The learning effect is also not reflected in how quickly an exercise is completed. It is crucial in memory training that each exercise is carried out consciously in order to increase the effect of the training.
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