Our eyes allow us to receive about 80-90% of the information from the outside world. And thanks to visual memory, we remember everything we see: movies, books, people, cities, streets and life events.

Visual memory appears one of the first and helps the child to perceive the world. In the process of growing up, other types of memory are also involved: kinesthetic, auditory, motor, associative. But throughout life, the main role is still played by the visual.

Many of us do not use all the possibilities of memory, some find it difficult to remember what they see. To unleash your full visual potential and improve the quality of life, you should pay attention to training and the development of this type of memory. We offer you the most effective methods.

You will need:

Daily mini-workouts

These simple exercises do not require a dedicated time slot. They can be practiced while walking down the street, sitting at work, or cleaning the house.

Memories

Every day before going to bed, remember your whole day, events, meetings. Pay special attention to details and images. Over time, you will see that you are able to capture even the smallest details.

Detailing the image of a person

After meeting with any person you know or pass by, try to reproduce his image in your memory: hair color, eyes, what he was wearing, what he held in his hands, etc.

Examining objects

Examining objects will help to stimulate visual memory perfectly. Hold your gaze on any of them (showcase, picture, bench) for just a few minutes. Then, close your eyes/turn away and mentally try to remember what you saw as accurately as possible.

Word portrait

To remember any phenomena, objects or people, try to mentally describe what you see in words. For example, when meeting a new person, say to yourself his image and behavior in minute details. As you walk down the street, describe the houses, including the number and shape of windows and doors.

After a while, try to reproduce what you saw in the form of words, and you will not notice how you begin to imagine a visual image.

With daily practice, you can improve not only visual memory, but also attention and concentration.

match method

For this exercise, you will need matches and a piece of paper.

1. Throw a few matches or toothpicks randomly on the table.
2. Look at their location for a while. Try to remember the picture.
3. Then, cover the matches/toothpicks opaque cloth or a sheet of paper.
4. After 2-3 minutes, try to sketch what you see.
5. Compare the drawing with the actual position of the objects.

Over time, increase the number of matches, and reduce the time for memorization. This way you can see your own progress.

The artist's method

This method has long been practiced by artists, illustrators and graphic designers. But to do such an exercise, it is not necessary to have a special talent.

If you do not know how to draw, then what you see can be conveyed schematically.

• Stare at a room, landscape, flower, leaf, or any other object for about 5-10 minutes.
• Close your eyes for a few moments.
• Take Blank sheet paper and try to draw what you see, remembering the details, colors, shapes, textures.

Gradually decrease the memorization time. With regular exercise, you will greatly improve your ability to remember and keep the images you see in your head.

secret room method

This interesting way will help you learn how to structure information and remember it easily.

• Objects / phenomena / information that you need to remember, mentally arrange in a well-known room in a strictly defined order.
• For playback necessary information try to remember all the places and corners of the room where the "objects" are located.

Schulte method

Schulte tables are special square blocks in which numbers are written in a chaotic manner.

The essence of this method is to short time put all the numbers in order. Using tables with blocks different color can make the task more difficult. For example, arrange numbers of the same color in order.

There are many interesting online simulators based on these tables, so you don’t have to draw them specially.

Photographing Method

1. Take a few small items(Pictures, words and sentences will also work).
2. Lay them out on the table.
3. Then, carefully look at them for several minutes (for example, 1-3 minutes, then reduce the time).
4. Turn away or cover the objects with a cloth and try to name all the objects you see.

To complicate the exercise, list not only the objects themselves, but also their features and differences (for example, by color, shape).

Method for selecting individual elements

The essence of this method is that through memorization separate parts, fix the image in your head as a whole.

• First, select all the objects / elements that make up the big picture.
• Try to remember them separately, paying attention to the color, shape and characteristic differences.
• Try to reproduce the image as a whole, remembering the objects and their location.

In the previous lessons as part of this memory development course, you received a basic understanding of the principles of high-quality memorization of any material. Although an understanding of the laws of human memory can improve the memorization of the necessary information, without special exercises difficult to achieve good results. As in sports, music, speed reading, oratory and acting, proper training is needed to develop memory. IN this lesson will be told how to effectively train our ability to voluntary memorization, as well as exercises, techniques, programs, free online games, techniques and techniques for developing visual and auditory memory.

Ways and methods of memory development

To begin with, it is worth noting that we often train our memory and attention using various everyday situations in Everyday life. We remember what we want to buy in the store, try to remember the birthdays of relatives, friends and acquaintances, retell the contents of a recently read book or textbook - all this and much more is a good memory training. However, the use of special exercises gives us the opportunity to concentrate on the specific goal of developing a certain ability of our memory.

Speaking of memory training, it is important to understand that it is almost impossible to directly train a specific ability to memorize material. Memory is always evolving close connection with our attention, perception, thinking, sense organs and other phenomena of human nature. Therefore, most of the exercises below produce complex effect on our thinking, as well as on our memory as an important component of thinking. For convenience, the exercises are divided into 2 groups: visual and auditory, - and in their totality they form an important part of our memory improvement training.

Visual memory training

Exercise 2. Training of photographic memory (Aivazovsky method)

This method of training photographic memory is named after the famous Russian-Armenian marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Ayvazyan). Aivazovsky could mentally stop the movement of the wave for a moment, transferring it to the canvas so that it does not seem frozen. It was very difficult to solve this problem, it required the artist good development visual memory. To achieve this effect, Aivazovsky watched the sea a lot, closed his eyes and reproduced what he saw from memory.

You can use a similar way to train visual memory. For 5 minutes, carefully look at an object, part of a landscape or a person. Close your eyes and mentally restore the color image of the object as clearly as possible. If you have a desire, images can be recreated not only in your head, but also drawn on paper, which will increase the effectiveness of your workout. This exercise can be done occasionally or regularly, depending on how well you want to train your visual memory.

Exercise 3. Playing matches

The game of remembering matches is not only useful, but also convenient way visual memory training. Throw 5 matches on the table, and within a few seconds, remember their location. After that, turn away and try using the other 5 matches to make the same picture on another surface.

At first, the exercise may be difficult for you. If you didn’t manage to remember everything, then take a look at the matches for another second and recreate the image more accurately. Skill will come with practice. As soon as you feel that this exercise is easy for you, increase the number of matches and reduce the observation time.

This exercise allows not only to train visual memory, but also to monitor progress as a result of training. A game form adds excitement to the exercise.

Exercise 4. Roman room

As already noted, the Roman room method is very useful for structuring memorized information. However, this famous technique can also be used to train visual memory. So when memorizing information using the Roman room method, try not only to remember the sequence of objects and the data attributed to them, but also the details, shapes and colors of these objects. These attributes can also be assigned additional remembered images. As a result, you will memorize more information, and at the same time train your visual memory.

Auditory memory training

Despite the fact that the famous Russian proverb states that “it is better to see once than hear 100 times”, auditory memory can sometimes be just as useful. So, without auditory memory it is difficult to achieve success for musicians, actors, politicians and even intelligence officers. To understand how important auditory memory is, remember that listening to a lecture is remembered better than just reading a textbook or viewing slides.

The peculiarity of auditory memory lies in the fact that, unlike visual impressions, which are perceived faster, memory often retains well-remembered auditory impressions better. Here are some tips and tricks to help you learn how to memorize auditory information effectively.

Exercise 1. Reading aloud

Reading aloud is definitely one of the most effective exercises for the development of auditory memory. It is reading aloud that helps to increase the working vocabulary, improving diction, intonation, emotional coloring and brightness of speech. Reading aloud helps us better remember the auditory components of the material we read.

• pronounce words clearly, expressively and with placement;
• do not pronounce the text monotonously, but as if you are expressing your own thoughts (telling).

Exercise 2. Poems

Memory training does not have to be limited to any specific exercises. Get into the habit of memorizing a short poem every day, or at least every week. Try to delve deeply into its meaning, think about the techniques used by the poet.

As you memorize a poem, you will repeat it either out loud or to yourself using your articulation apparatus. The more repetitions you perform, the better your memory will remember the poem. Over time, you will train your memory and begin to memorize verses as a result of much fewer repetitions.

In addition, the poems themselves are often used for long-term memorization of any abstract information. You can see the applied use of the method in some materials on our website, which describe the principles of memorizing such information as:

Exercise 3. Eavesdropping

Walking down the street or being in public transport, try to hear and keep in mind an excerpt of the conversation strangers. Then try to reproduce to yourself what you heard with the right intonation, and also mentally imagine the faces of the people who said it. This exercise allows you to learn to fluently perceive the text by ear, and also allows you to be more attentive and sensitive to the tone of speech.

Online Games

As already mentioned in the lesson "Memory and Attention", games, competitiveness and excitement are useful helpers for concentration. Besides, playing tricks can be useful for memory training. Below is a free online game, with the help of which free time you can easily train visual memory. The rules of the game are simple: you need to open 2 cells of the table in a row, trying to find the same pictures. And as soon as you open all the pictures, the game will be over. This game is a kind of test of your memory: the program records the time of passing the game.

How to develop visual memory in order to remember everything that you saw as well as they do in the program " amazing people"? And why do we need it? If a person works in the police and he needs to recognize many faces of wanted criminals, then it is still understandable.

Sometimes in life it happens to see some kind of terrible picture that you want to erase from your memories forever. Maybe nature deliberately limits the images stored in the head to a certain volume in order to preserve our psyche?

Visual memory: what is it

What is visual memory? Scientists began to study this issue in detail only in the sixties of the last century. It turned out that not all patterns associated with verbal, that is, conversational memory, are true for visual. The ability to retain figurative information in the mind without resorting to verbal designation is called visual memory.

Often, for better memorization, a person calls for himself what he saw. For example: red circle, green square, blue triangle. This gives a double code for the brain. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a visual image and a verbal one. That is, a person remembers the shade, but does not know how it is called exactly: crimson or purple.

Visual memory can be conditionally divided into short-term, which works here and now, and long-term. Short-term allows us to keep in mind a small number of objects for a short period of time. Researchers have noticed that 3-4 items are the easiest to remember. If you change their color or shape, they will still remain in the head. But when there are more objects, it will be more difficult to keep them in the consciousness of a short-term cell.

Long-term memory stores memories that were very dear to us, often repeated or made a great impression. Everyone remembers their mother's face best friend, first snow, sea.

In scientific terms, short-term memories are stored in one cell, while long-term memories are played back when a whole chain of associations is captured. Long-term memory is a repository in which memories are stored for the time being. We put them there and forget about them until a certain point. There is a hypothesis that the amount of long-term storage is unlimited.

The more chains of associations are stored in a person's head, the more voluminous his long-term memory is. It can store events that happened months, years, days and hours ago. The amount of long-term storage can be replenished. A person does not realize it until he transfers part of his memories into a working, short-term cell for some daily needs.

How to develop figurative memory

How to improve visual memory? This question worries many. A good amount of visual images facilitates any professional activity. The confectioner, decorating the cake, tries to repeat the pattern or shape of the flowers, remembering how he decorated another dessert just or yesterday.

In adults

Visual memory training is not the most difficult task. If you wish, you can independently perform special exercises.

To achieve a certain result, you should practice regularly.

Scientists have noticed the following pattern. If work on the image takes part in the process of memorization, it is remembered for more long time and more precisely.

Example. If several words are written on the screen. One word: cancer. The subjects were asked: “Did any of the relatives die from such a disease?” In the future, it turned out that 85% of people remembered this word. Because they worked on it deeply, based on emotions.

Practical experiments of psychologists are aimed at clarifying different sides Problems. How quickly does a person remember what he sees? Researchers show the object for 2 seconds, then for 2 minutes.

They are also interested in the accuracy of memories. To what extent is an object stored in a person's head correctly? Does the brain add its own details, interpretation?

There is a problem of changing the image in memories if a person is asked deliberately confusing questions. Often for this reason mistakes are made in litigation.

It has been noticed that when something changes slowly in an image, a person may not notice it. For example, on the screen, the tree will become more transparent and disappear altogether. At the same time, if the object moves, you will immediately notice it, pay attention to it.

It is better to remember what a person paid attention to. When a person does an exercise to improve memorization, one should understand. He will develop attentiveness and memorization in this particular exercise. But vigilance and attention on the carriageway will remain the same as they were. That is, if you need stronger memories in a certain area, you need to do the exercises in that area.

It has been noticed that at the moment of danger to a person's life, he can see before his eyes pictures of his whole life that flashed in a couple of seconds. This once again confirms that vision gives a person the largest percentage of knowledge, ideas about the world around him.

Each person has an individual memory. Some remember all the details, barely looking at the subject, others do not remember the main thing. But we are able to influence the ability to remember, regardless of our age. To develop memory in an adult individual, one must try, make more efforts. To train visual memory mature person, you should analyze his problems, choose individual exercises.

Classes allow you to increase the volume of memories, prolong the storage of images in a person’s head, and reveal the hidden reserves of the brain.

If a person does not have very good eyesight, it is good to connect mnemonic techniques to the exercises. An example is a poem about the colors of the rainbow, about a hunter and a pheasant.

In the process of training for the best adult need a diet rich in vitamins: C, E, B6, B12.

The diet should include fish:

• chum salmon;
• sardine;
• salmon;
• halibut.

Walnuts and hazelnuts, carrots and apples, bananas will supplement the composition of the blood with useful microelements necessary for the enhanced work of brain neurons.

For better memorization, a person should repeat exercises regularly, gradually complicating them. You should increase the volume of techniques and the number of items that you want to remember.

For the training of vision, you can use the time of forced inactivity. For example, while sitting on the subway, close your eyes and try to remember what color the coat of the girl sitting next to you is. Open your eyes, look carefully at three or four people at the same time. Close and remember their clothes, the color of the handbag in their hands. Gradually, you can add the number of people, complicate the task.

Leonardo da Vinci practiced with a dice, memorizing one of its faces. On the Internet you can find many examples for training vision. One of them is drawing. Look at the flower, turn away and draw it, imagining it mentally. Test yourself. The pictures that arise in the brain, try to draw as accurately as possible.

Sketch your friend's necklace made of stones different shapes and colors. Remember, with a mental eye, how many plates were put on the table, setting dinner.

In children (schoolchildren, preschoolers) and adolescents

For preschoolers, the toy store sells many educational games. Laying out the usual cubes and putting on the pyramid rings, the mother can ask questions, repeat with the baby how many objects he sees, how they are located on the table.

Well-trained visualization will help the child learn better, remember lessons, acquire a profession, and be successful in life.

Visual-figurative memory develops well in younger students, because they are given a lot of specific figurative material, which develops visual thinking. IN primary school teachers prepare children for the development of logical memory, offering to memorize definitions, proofs and explanations. By memorizing logically related meanings, the child develops thinking.

The child's memory different ages is different. When boys grow 10 centimeters in a summer, their brain cells can't keep up. rapid growth. At the age of 14-15, it is more difficult for boys to study than in the first grade.

So that the teenager's classes do not turn into torment, he needs to diversify his impressions. For example, memorize historical information, supplementing them with drawings, maps, tables. Supplement information with rhyming rhymes, like Pythagorean pants.

Remembering a lot of dates, tie them to objects in your room. Developing exercises will help train the imaginative thinking of a teenager, which will facilitate his studies.

Artists

Artists have a high figurative thinking. They learn to draw, sculpt in their own mental memories about nature, adding a bit of my own. In order to remember the many pictures from the world around him, the artist constantly replenishes his memories, carefully peering into the landscape outside the window, into a still life.

Leonardo da Vinci often put a bouquet of flowers in front of him and looked at him. Then I drew from memory. Checked with real bouquet and so repeated many times until he memorized it exactly.

Exercises for training visual memory

So that you can play letters with it. Two capital letters Place A and M next to each other. Close them with an opaque sheet and invite the child to repeat the arrangement of the letters. Such training with the baby and other educational games increase the visual storage of the brain. If the child has bad memory play with it more often.

Arrange several matches randomly on the table. Remember their location, cover with an opaque napkin. Draw whatever you remember. Check the result.

Find a few differences in the pictures for the test on the Internet or comics.

Remember what your guests are wearing. Exit to another room. During this time, let them exchange scarves, ties. You come in and guess what has changed in appearance.

The usual reading of books with and without pictures trains the brain well. Read at least a hundred pages a day and your memories will be alive and voluminous.