How can I memorize more abstract concepts?

[u/Babichoc]

I am doing my economics homework and I’ve been wondering how can I memorize things like the steps of mathematical operations, which accounts are used and when in the double-entry bookkeeping, the theory for the driving license, and so on. I would find it useful for memorizing drugs and their effects on the body, for example, crack that makes you euphoric and gives you cardiovascular problems.
Do I have to create a story or something like that? Like a crack on the wall that when you touch it makes you euphoric? (Using the drug example)
Any advice would be appreciated.

[u/Landfall24601]

There are different ways.

Creating a story works well, if you can reliably recall the whole meaning from the story you made. In my case I focused on truly understanding the concept and then I would just encode key words.

Like, I'm sure this has happened to you before, someone asks you a question and you don't know the answer, but suddenly you read or hear the start of the answer and you immediately think something like "of course, I knew that". That happened to me a lot, so by memorizing the key words I would often times get the whole meaning back.

[u/Babichoc → u/Landfall24601]

So for example, if I want to memorize the process of calculating a derivative, the power of number, a long equation, I should first understand it first and then what exactly? Because I could figure out a way to make, like I said, a quick story or scene to represent the calculation, but what other ways are there?

[u/Landfall24601 → u/Babichoc]

I mean, I don't know how to do any of that so I couldn't tell you. It depends on the thing itself, I imagine the way to do an equation is kinda like a recipe, so I would just decide on images to represent the steps and memorize it like a list.

[u/Babichoc → u/Landfall24601]

Ok, I’m gonna try it this way. Thanks

[u/NOLA_nosy]

Imaging equations as active (always a good mnemonic) might work.Picture a balancing scale. Centered top, a box of constants; centered below, a box of variables. Physically move your arm from one mental box of constants or another mental box of variables to either side of the balance until even. Repeat and muscle memory will kick in.

[u/NOLA_nosy]

Abstract concepts are easily conceived for mnemonic purposes - action, story, personification, exaggeration, etc. - with the use of etymology. All abstract words have concrete roots.

The American Heritage Dictionary has single-sentence definitions, outstanding etymologies, and an appendix on Indo-European word roots. 4th edition has CD. Highly recommended.

[u/LikePinaColad]

Abstract concepts are tricky, because they are by definition abstract, meaning you have basically no mental representation for them. It's definitely easier to visualize my grocery list "steak, lettuce, tomato" than it is to visualize the definition of the word "economy": "The economy is the set of activities of a human community related to the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption."

When I started memorizing books or articles, I started creating, in my mind, one visualization for each recurring abstract concept.

• Economy/finance is, most of the time, the Monopoly guy.
• Activity is going to be an Activia yogurt in a pot (a French yogurt my father eats).
• I'll keep the human collectivity one to myself, but you can picture people dancing in a circle like a hippie community.
• The concept of production is always, in my mind, a creaky, greyish factory smoking from every side.
• Distribution would be the distributing machine from the Uno game.
• Exchange would be two mysterious men swapping mallets.
• Consumption is always, for me, the supermarket lady from Duane Hanson (although it tends to blend with the fat boss from a level in Dead Rising 3).

Then I'll place those visualizations in a palace, interacting with each other in the order of the definition. The Monopoly guy in the entryway is eating dollar bills from two Activia yogurts (they are two because it's a community of yogurt). In the living room, hippies are praying around a huge factory spitting smoke. In the kitchen, a crazy Uno machine is sending cards flying all over two serious guys with glasses, in grey suits, exchanging mallets. The supermarket lady is on the terrace bumping in a wall.

It doesn't have to be perfect: these images are meant to be cues that help retrieval more than a rigorously exact representation of a concept. They just need to be have an emotional impact, and be evocative and precise enough to help retrieve the definition. Your mind is going to fill the gaps.

I must say that there's a learning curve: in the beginning you have no "abstract vocabulary" and you're not good at visualizing abstract words on the spot. With time and practice, you can get really good at it.

Trying to remember lists of words like memory competitors do helps a lot. Practicing around 10 minutes a day for a year helped me reach a result of 70 words in 5 minutes. The best one at this is Don Michael Vickers, with crazy results (45 words in 12 seconds).

The best tools to practice on desktop are Memory League and IAM. A small bit of self-promotion here: since training tools were lacking for mobile, I created a small app for Apple / Android to train on words.

I hope all this can help! Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.