Final answer:
Chunking is grouping information into manageable units, while rehearsal involves repeating information to move it into long-term memory. These strategies can be enhanced through elaborative rehearsal, making information personally meaningful, and distributed practice.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chunking is a memory strategy used to group information into manageable bits or chunks, which enhances our ability to remember complex strings of information by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable units. An example of chunking is organizing a 10-digit phone number into the format 520-555-0467, making it easier to recall.
On the other hand, rehearsal is the memory strategy where information is repeated over and over to help transfer it from short-term memory into long-term memory. Active rehearsal might involve the repeated verbal recitation of information, while elaborative rehearsal involves linking new information to existing knowledge to make it more memorable.
Adopting the strategy of chunking, we can enhance our ability to remember large amounts of data, like phone numbers, by organizing them into familiar groupings. When coupled with rehearsal, these chunks of information are more likely to be remembered in the long term. For example, the active rehearsal of singing the alphabet song can ingrain the ABCs into a child's long-term memory.
To further bolster our memory retention, we can apply strategies such as using elaborative rehearsal, the self-reference effect, and distributed practice. Elaborative rehearsal involves deeply processing information by thinking about its meaning and connecting it to previously stored knowledge. By making new information personally meaningful through the self-reference effect and spreading study sessions over time with distributed practice, we strengthen memory consolidation and create a network of retrieval cues that assist in later recall.