Final answer:
Elaboration is a memory technique where you link new information to existing knowledge to make it more meaningful. Elaborative rehearsal, specifically, involves repeating this process to enhance memory retention. Additional techniques like chunking, mnemonics, and the self-reference effect can also aid in memorization.
Step-by-step explanation:
An example of elaboration, a memory technique, is when you create associations between new information and existing knowledge. This involves linking new insights to what we already have stored in our long-term memory, thus making the new information more meaningful and easier to retain. For instance, if you're trying to remember that the hippocampus is involved with memory processing, you might envision a 'hippocampus' as a hippopotamus with a good memory to forge a memorable connection.
Elaborative rehearsal is a specific form of elaboration where new information is actively linked to existing knowledge repeatedly to enhance memory. If you meet someone with a phone number starting with the area code 520 and you remember that 520 is the area code for Arizona, it could help you remember the number better when you recall that someone you know lives in Arizona.
To further improve memory retention, other strategies could be employed such as chunking information into manageable bits, utilizing mnemonic devices, or applying the self-reference effect by making the information personally meaningful.