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Elaborative rehearsal is the act of linking new information that one is trying to learn to pre-existing information that is already known.

Elaborative Rehearsal

An example of elaborative rehearsal involves remembering a new phone number by connecting it to information already in memory. For instance, to remember an area code like 203, one could associate it with the knowledge that a relative lives in Connecticut, which uses that same area code. This link makes the new number more meaningful and easier to retrieve later.

Example of Elaborative Rehearsal: Remembering a Phone Number

Proposed by Craik and Lockhart (1972), the levels of processing hypothesis states that the deeper an individual thinks about something, the better they will remember it.

Levels of Processing Hypothesis

A student is studying for a biology exam and needs to remember the function of the mitochondria. Which of the following strategies best exemplifies a memory technique where new information is made more memorable by linking it to pre-existing knowledge?

An example of elaborative rehearsal involves associating the hippocampus, a brain structure involved in memory, with a familiar and similar-sounding word like hippopotamus. By visualizing a hippopotamus with an excellent memory, a learner can form a meaningful link that makes the concept of the hippocampus easier to remember.

Example of Elaborative Rehearsal: Envisioning a Hippopotamus

The self-reference effect is a memory-enhancing strategy where individuals make the material they are trying to memorize personally meaningful. By rewriting definitions in their own words, relating concepts to previous learning, or applying them to their own lives, learners build a web of retrieval cues that facilitates access to the information later. This effect acts as an especially beneficial form of elaborative rehearsal.

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