What About Mnemonics? • Zettelkasten Method
What About Mnemonics? • Zettelkasten Method
Dear Zettlers, I am currently wrestling with the question of what to make of mnemonics. I barely dipped my toe in this world. But I never seriously engaged with mnemonics.
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
Winners of memory championships use those techniques, so they obviously work. (I enjoyed reading Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein. He entered the world of Memory Championships as a self-experiment, learned some techniques and competed in championships.)
The bigger question here is what we think about the relevance of internal memory, memorization and rote learning.
Some users of external memories, like a Zettelkasten, trust their tools so much, that they don't bother memorizing anything.
Memorization has been a hot topic in pedagogy for decades. Some school reformers vehemently reject rote learning.
On the other hand I find it difficult to imagine how one could become a medical doctor, engineer, lawyer, philosopher or historian without memorizing at least some core knowledge. Mnemonics make that easier.
Do you want us to discuss particular mnemonic techniques or the benefits/harms of memorizing stuff in general? I think these are related, but different debates.
It would be interesting to know your take on the very famous blog post by Michael Nielsen:
https://augmentingcognition.com/ltm.html
Andy Matuschak also created this website with Michael Nielsen in 2019 to learn quantum computing using spaced repetition:
https://quantum.country/
It has many interesting ideas that are worth exploring. For the context of our forum and OP's initial question, I pick three.
First, the essay is about personal memory systems, that is, "systems designed to improve the long-term memory of a single person". They are designed to internalize knowledge, whereas a Zettelkasten is sometimes described as external memory, extended memory or second memory that externalizes knowledge.
Second, the essay describes a different kind of note-taking than Zettelkasten. When Nielsen talks about the app Anki he talks about flashcards. They are a well-researched learning tool. The essay gives an excellent overview on how to write and use flashcards. It explains some benefits of using an app instead of paper. And it contains references to the learning psychology of self-testing with spaced repetition.
One difference between Nielsen's flashcards and Zettelkasten is atomicity. In Sascha Fast's flavor of the Zettelkasten method, atomicity is a normative ideal derived from a philosophical belief about the nature of knowledge.
Nielsen takes a more practical approach: "Breaking this question into more atomic pieces turned a question I routinely got wrong into two questions I routinely got right." This kind of atomicity …
Third, in the essay we can learn a lot about the art of asking good questions. I find Nielsen's reading of the AlphaGo paper so interesting not because of Anki, but because of the kind of questions he asks at various stages of the reading process.
In my experience, asking good questions is the most effective way to learn, understand and remember something.
I share Nielsen's experience, that mnemonic techniques like memory palace are fun, but that "they may even distract from understanding". I prefer to learn by understanding and making meaningful connections.
But sometimes mnemonic tricks are the only way to get stuff in my memory at all. Once the stuff is in the head, the brain can do its magic and connect this stuff to other stuff even while I'm not concsiously thinking about any of that stuff. So they are definitely useful for memorizing definitions, lists, numbers, names, vocabulary, etc.
I like Nielsen's article, because it's a case study that covers many aspects of classic reading techniques and evidence-based learning techniques.
I am skeptical of the techniques that allow to memorise stack of cards apply to real world. But my opinion is far from being settled.
I agree and think that this is a big mistake. The co-development of the user should be an integral part of the method.
I, personally, am interested in everything as I am in the process of mapping out the landscape.
I am a Zettler
Isn't that knowledge that is the core of being a medical doctor, engineer, lawyer, philosopher, or historian so essential and useful that it would be hard, if not impossible, to practice those jobs without naturally memorizing that knowledge? If it is core knowledge, it will probably appear over and over again.
Surely there must be some additional advantages in setting up a system for memorizing things.
I also wonder if a system for memorization and the Zettelkasten should be kept separate, or if they can be part of the same workflow. I know, for example, that Obsidian has a plugin that allows exporting notes to Anki.
Some knowledge does appear all over again, so there will be some repetition and testing in everyday life. And that might be enough for some of the knowledge.
But you already need a lot of knowledge in order to get such a job. For example, if you want to become a doctor, you need to learn about anatomy. Or if you want to become a lawyer, you need to learn about all the laws and cases that everybody expects you to know.
The promise is faster learning and better retention compared to not using such systems.
I also find the reverse question interesting. Why do so many people not set up such systems? How do they learn? Why don't they need such systems? Do they have a particular talent? Do they use proven techniques without realizing it? Don't they know about systems for memorizing things? Do they lack the motivation or discipline to use them? Do they prefer to procrastinate?
I occasionally use the plugin Spaced Repetition in Obsidian. It works, but it is a lot of work. It requires more motivation and discipline than I have in areas of general interest. I like Zettelkasten, because I'm too lazy to memorize stuff. :-)
I find Nielsen's article so interesting, because he goes all in on flashcards and because he prioritizes memorization.
It seems like an approach that is worth trying out for myself.
Yes, I think that the relation between memory and Zettelkasten is quite interesting and seldom talked about. I found an article that argues the following:
I'm currently investigating empirically how effective my learning sessions are when I use the Zettelkasten vs a spaced repetition system (nothing stops me from using both, but I agree with you that it seems like a lot of work).
I learned a particular model of how memory works from 'The Programmers Brain', but I think it can be applied to many topics.
The trouble with not putting things into long-term memory, is that we are then only relying on our short-term and working-memory to deal with everything. But these two are easily overwhelmed, only being able to deal with a few things at a time.
By putting things into our long-term memory, we get two benefits:
If someone only believes in an external memory (Zettelkasten or 2nd brain) they lose these benefits. These benefits are also lost to someone who thinks along the lines of "why should I learn or remember something if I can just look it up when I need it?"
I'm open to ideas about how to more efficiently put things into my long-term memory, mnemonics, flash cards, or anything else. I know that flash cards helped me a lot when I was learning a natural language (German).
Referenced:
Hermans, F. and Skeet, J. (2021) The Programmer’s Brain: what every programmer needs to know about cognition. 1st ed. Shelter Island, NY: Manning.