Blog Topic #4: Memory

What do you think about the concept of having good memory? Is a good memory something you can build, or is it something you're born with? What are some memory techniques you use to study? Do they work for long-term learning or short-term?

I think that a good memory is definitely something you can develop, but it also is something some people are born with. 

Example: One of my best friends from high school didn't have a whole lot of friends when he was very young, and often his older sisters didn't want to play with him, so he played Memory by himself a lot.  He now has a photographic memory and is sure that's how he developed it.  

When I study, I like using note cards and going through them by myself or with someone else.  I also like to write and rewrite the information and drawing pictures, making up songs and different mnemonic devices, etc.  They usually work for short-term, but depending on how much I go over them, they can also work for long-term learning.

Example: When I was a freshman out here, I used pictures to help me remember the different amendments in the Bill of Rights while studying for a test.  Now, I can't remember any of the pictures or most of the amendments.  BUT When I was in high school, we had songs in seminary to help us remember the scripture mastery scriptures.  To this day, those songs are the only way I can remember some of the scriptures, and sometimes I even get them stuck in my head, like normal songs.