When you learn something, there are several different ways to measure how you remember it. The deepest form of memory is called recall and refers to any piece of information that you can instantly remember (for example: your name). The goal of most studying is to get the information memorized to a point where you can recall it.
One step down from recall is aided recall. This describes the type of memory where you cannot remember it until you are given a hint (for example: your first grade teacher's name starts with a B). Mnemonics help with memories in this stage by providing the cues to help you recall the information. This is why mnemonics work so well! You don't have to study the facts as much in order to remember them.
If you are unable to recall the information, then you may have only memorized the information to the point of recognition. At this stage, you are unable to recall the information even if aided, but once the material is shown to you, you instantly remember it. This is why multiple-choice tests are easier than fill-in-the-blank tests. You only have to recognize the answer, not recall it.
If you learned the fact at some point and now have forgotten it to a point where you can't even recognize it, then your memory may be in the relearnable stage. In this stage, there is some evidence of previous learning because you learn it much faster the second time around. An example of this would be relearning a foreign language that you learned many years ago, but forgot.
One step down from recall is aided recall. This describes the type of memory where you cannot remember it until you are given a hint (for example: your first grade teacher's name starts with a B). Mnemonics help with memories in this stage by providing the cues to help you recall the information. This is why mnemonics work so well! You don't have to study the facts as much in order to remember them.
If you are unable to recall the information, then you may have only memorized the information to the point of recognition. At this stage, you are unable to recall the information even if aided, but once the material is shown to you, you instantly remember it. This is why multiple-choice tests are easier than fill-in-the-blank tests. You only have to recognize the answer, not recall it.
If you learned the fact at some point and now have forgotten it to a point where you can't even recognize it, then your memory may be in the relearnable stage. In this stage, there is some evidence of previous learning because you learn it much faster the second time around. An example of this would be relearning a foreign language that you learned many years ago, but forgot.
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