The method of loci [1] [2] (from lat. Loci plural from locus - location; other names - the palace of memory , halls of the mind , spatial mnemonics [2] ) is the mnemonic (that is, helping the development of memory ) method, described in ancient Roman treatises on rhetoric . It is based on mental-spatial associations, the purpose of which is to create, organize and further use the entire contents of human memory. The use of such a method of organizing and storing information can be observed in many works on psychology and neurology , despite the fact that it was also used in the first half of the 19th century in works on the topic of rhetoric, logic and philosophy [3] .
Description
Almost all the nuances of the memory training of antiquity known to us were described between 86 and 82. BC e. in a short anonymous textbook “ Rhetoric for Herenius ”.
The locus method is often called a “mental walk”. In essence, the method consists in developing memory through visualization : creating in your imagination a space in which you can store a huge amount of information. In other words, a person remembers, for example, the plan of a building or the location of shops on a particular street, or other geographical objects, consisting of a certain number of different locations (places). When a person using the described method needs to remember some facts, he, as it were, goes for a “walk” through the locations mentioned above and associates some fact (for example, a number that needs to be remembered) with one of the objects of his “Palace of Memory” ”, By forming a kind of image that logically combines the fact required for memorization and the distinguishing feature of the location (for example, a room in the Palace or an object located in this room) [4] .
This method is often used in mnemonic competitions, when contestants must memorize 500 different numbers in 15 minutes or a sequence of 100 objects, which are remembered for only a few seconds. Since 1991, the world championships in memory . At the first, held in London, the British defeated Dominic O'Brien ( Eng. Dominic O'Brien ) [5] . Currently, competitions are held in 30 countries around the world in the following disciplines: abstract images, words, names and faces, speed cards , card sequence per hour, speed numbers, hour numbers, binary numbers for speed, historical dates, hearing numbers . Often, processes that play a key role in the functioning of memory encounter problems of a psychological and physiological nature [6] .
Notes
- ↑ Gostev, A. A. Psychology of the secondary image. - M .: Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2007. - P. 41. - ISBN 978-5-9270-0115-6 .
- ↑ 1 2 Richardson J., 2006 , p. 133.
- ↑ Norman Dodge Plasticity of the brain (Inaccessible link) . mir.zavantag.com. Date of treatment January 17, 2016. Archived on September 21, 2016.
- ↑ NOTES - Einstein walks on the moon. The science and art of memorization . www.e-reading.club. Date of treatment January 17, 2016.
- ↑ Mnemonic rules or how to remember to remember . Evening Moscow. Date of treatment January 17, 2016.
- ↑ Stanislav Matveev - Phenomenal memory. Methods of remembering information . Moscow - 2013. Date of treatment January 17, 2016.
Literature
- Richardson, J. Thought Images: A Cognitive Approach / Per. from English; scientific ed. A. A. Gostev . - M .: Kogito-Center, 2006 .-- 174 p. - (University psychological education). - ISBN 5-89353-187-6 .