Method of loci
Also known as: Memory palace, Journey method
Remembering items by mentally placing them along a familiar route.
What it means
The method of loci is a mnemonic technique in which items to be remembered are visualized at distinct, ordered locations along a well-known spatial route, then recalled by mentally walking the route and 'collecting' them. It works by harnessing the mind's powerful spatial and visual memory and by imposing organization and distinctive cues on otherwise arbitrary lists. It is the dominant strategy of memory champions and exemplifies how deliberate structure can vastly exceed natural span. Its efficacy illustrates dual coding, distinctiveness, and the value of self-generated, elaborative encoding. Dating to classical antiquity, it is among the oldest documented cognitive techniques.
Examples
To memorize a speech, a speaker places each point in a room of their house and recalls it by touring the house mentally.
A shopper with no list pictures milk spilling in her hallway, bread on the stairs, and lemons in the bath, then mentally walks the house while pushing the trolley.
A medical student learns the cranial nerves by parking each one at a landmark on her walk to campus, then retraces the route in the exam to collect them in order.
First described in Classical mnemonics (attributed to Simonides of Ceos); revived in modern memory research.