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Memory can be assessed by some one called a neuropsychologist or a clinical psychologist. Typically, you will be asked to do some tests that give a measure of ‘intelligence’ as well as tests to look at different aspects of your memory and other functions such as problem solving.

Neuropsychological assessments can help to find out where a problem is occurring, for example if you have had a head injury. They may also be used to track improvements over time, for example before, during and after rehabilitation. A neuropsychological assessment can detect early signs of dementia.

Mnemonics (ner-mon-ics)
Mnemonics are strategies that can be used to improve your memory. One popular mnemonic is ‘Richard Of York Gained Battle In Vain’ where the first letter of each word stands for a each colour in the rainbow. Mnemonics help to make information more memorable and easier to recall. Here are some other mnemonics you can try:

Association This method is useful when trying to remember the name of a person. Ask the person to repeat their name and try to use it a few times in the conversation. You can make their name more memorable by associating it with an image or a picture. For example, if someone is called Ann Fisher associate their face with the picture of Princess Anne fishing. The more vivid or imaginative the picture is, the more likely you are to remember it.

Linking This method is useful if you have a list of items you need to remember, for example a shopping list or people you need to visit. If you need to remember to buy a stamp, milk, a newspaper and washing up liquid you could try making up a story to link these items together. For example ‘I STAMPed my foot on the floor and a MILK bottle broke. I soaked up the mess with a NEWSPAPER and then had to wash the print off my hands using WASHING UP LIQUID. Although this seems like a lot of effort, it doesn’t take very long once you get used to doing it and it can really help.

There are a lot of different mnemonics you can use. You may need to try using a few different ones before you find the ones that works best for you. At the end of this article there are some links to where you can find out more.

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Last updated 29 June 2010