The effectiveness of four mnemonics in ordering recall.

150 undergraduates were given instructions in using 1 of 4 mnemonic techniques: imagery, the link method, a peg system, or the method of loci. Relative to controls, all mnemonic groups showed an advantage in memorizing 20-word lists for unordered recall. However, the greatest differences appeared when recall was scored by a strict positional criterion whereby Ss received credit for recalling a word only when it was placed in its correct position. By this scoring method, peg and loci Ss performed best on an immediate test, and imagery and control Ss, worst. Performance of Ss told to use linking images was intermediate. Mnemonic devices have greater effects on the ordering of recall than on the number of words that can be recalled without regard to order. Some experimental failures to show that mnemonic devices are effective may have been due to testing only item information. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)