2.1 • Introduction
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Peg Words
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A Tutorial by Kevin Jay North, 2 December 1996
(Revised 20 Jan 97, 20 Jun 98)
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Peg words are useful for remembering a name given
only a number or for memorizing numbered lists of items.
In the "How to Improve Your Memory" tutorial, you learned
how to memorize numbers by converting
them to words which can
be pictured and remembered easily. This works well when you want to recall
a number given something else: For example, given my friend Jim, I might
want to recall his phone number. But using the usual method you can't
very easily recall something given only the number. For phone numbers, this
isn't a problem, because rarely do we see a phone number on a piece of
paper and we want to recall whose it is. But for other things, it might
be very useful: area codes, football jersey numbers, etc.
This is where the peg word system comes in useful.
It allows you to recall both a number given a name and a name
given a number. The secret is this: Instead of coming up with an
arbitrary word for a number, you use a specific word every time. When you
want to remember something given only the number, you recall the specific
peg word for the number, then proceed to remember what name was
associated with the peg word.
The system is probably most useful for memorizing long, numbered
lists. Lists, by the way, can be memorized by
"linking" words together in a long chain, like this:
Canada -> USA -> Mexico -> Belize -> Guatemala -> El Salvador
For short lists, this is actually the most desirable method. Simply
form an animated picture in your mind linking the objects, and you've
memorized the list very easily! For example, you might think of
a can (Canada) on the sidewalk. Uncle Sam
(USA) walks along and practically trips on the can. He goes to a
Texaco (Mexico) gas station to call for a doctor.
While he's waiting, he feels the cool evening breeze
(Belize). Etc.!
What if, though, you had a longer list? In order to remember the 15th
item, you need to recall the first fourteen, which can take a while.
Also, if you forget a word in the middle, the chain is broken and you've
lost the rest! Wouldn't it be nice if you could memorize the list like
this instead:
1. Canada
2. USA
3. Mexico
4. Belize
5. Guatemala
6. El Salvador
Now if you want to remember the fifth item, you just need to recall your
peg word for the number 5, then remember the country that you associated
with that word.
In this country list example, the numbers aren't too important, but
there may be instances where the number is very important.
For example, we might be memorizing the presidents of the United States,
the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the elements in the periodic
table or the 50 states in order of population. In these cases, the peg
word system becomes even more valuable.
(Click on "Next" below to continue the tutorial...)
Document last modified
27 May 00. (C) 1996-2000
Kevin Jay North; see also full
copyright notice & disclaimers..
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