Learning More About and With the Face–Name Mnemonic Strategy

Abstract

With the face-name mnemonic strategy, choosing and using 'prominent' facial features in interactive images can be difficult. The temptation is to stray from less-than-distinctive facial features and instead to associate an individual's name clue with an additional concrete detail (e.g., a headband). To examine this issue, undergraduates viewed face photographs with or without additional details under one of three conditions: own best method, fully imposed mnemonic, and partially imposed mnemonic. Experiment 2 examined a somewhat parallel situation that occurs when applying the strategy to abstract artwork (paintings with less familiar, less concrete elements) versus applying it to representational artwork (paintings with more familiar concrete elements). Our findings suggest that some pictorial stimuli (e.g., facial photos with details; representational paintings) are easier to work with mnemonically than are others (e.g., facial photos by themselves; abstract art). Moreover, in both experiments, mnemonic students displayed performance advantages on both immediate and delayed tests.

Strategies to Improve Name Learning

“…Several studies have reported the mnemonic device described here-above (the standard version or slightly modified versions) as being usually more efficient than participants’ (undergraduates) own best method for learning the names of people (Carney & Levin, 2012, 2014; Carney, Levin, & Stackhouse, 1997).…”

“…They found that focusing on additional details was more efficient than focusing on facial features when recalling a name from the same picture as that used at encoding. However, if the pictures presented at the recall phase were different from those displayed at encoding and no longer showed the additional details, the technique was more efficient when facial features were used (Carney & Levin, 2014).…”

“…In such cases, it might be interesting to focus on other additional details associated with the face, such as a headband or a pipe. Carney and Levin (2014) compared the efficacy of focusing on a prominent facial feature with that of focusing on an additional detail. They found that focusing on additional details was more efficient than focusing on facial features when recalling a name from the same picture as that used at encoding.…”

“…They found that focusing on additional details was more efficient than focusing on facial features when recalling a name from the same picture as that used at encoding. However, if the pictures presented at the recall phase were different from those displayed at encoding and no longer showed the additional details, the technique was more efficient when facial features were used (Carney & Levin, 2014). Patton (1994) evaluated whether the face-name mnemonic based on mental imagery is efficient when names have to be learnt in more ecological conditions than the laboratory settings used in the above-quoted studies.…”