Explain it as: memory aids that match what you care about
Some facts refuse to stick until they are hooked onto something you already know well: a football formation, a game mechanic, a story, a rhyme. Cue, the study copilot in recalled.fyi, can re-explain any answer from your own lecture in one of seven styles. The accurate explanation, with the page it came from, always comes first. The memory aid comes second, and analogies end with where they stop being true.
| Style | Best for | Strength of evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Mnemonic | Lists, causes, criteria, sequences | Moderate: meta-analysis of method of loci, g = 0.65 (Twomey & Kroneisen, 2021) |
| Story | Pathways and cascades (cause → effect) | Moderate: meta-analysis, stories recalled better than essays, g = 0.55 (Mar et al., 2021) |
| Football | Systems with roles: immunity, coagulation | Indirect: interest-based personalization and analogy research |
| Cricket | Curves, limits, timing: physiology | Indirect: interest-based personalization and analogy research |
| Gaming | Pharmacology, timers, thresholds | Indirect: interest-based personalization and analogy research |
| Rhyme | Short contrasts you mix up | Mixed: helps recall of wording; can make claims feel truer than they are |
| Exam trap | Questions you keep getting wrong | Strong: retrieval practice and learning from errors |
This is not "learning styles"
The idea that each person is a "visual" or "auditory" learner and learns best when teaching matches that type has been tested and is not supported by evidence (Pashler et al., 2008). The styles here are a different idea. They are memory aids: ways to connect a new fact to something you already know and care about. That is supported by research on deeper processing (Craik & Lockhart, 1972), analogy (Gentner, 1983) and interest (Hidi & Renninger, 2006).
In practice: pick the style that makes a topic click for you, not the one a quiz says you "are". Use different styles for different topics.
Why connecting to your interests works
In a study of 145 high-school students, algebra problems rewritten around each student's own interests (such as sports, music, games or movies) improved performance on the hardest skill, and the advantage carried into a later unit that was not personalised (Walkington, 2013). A follow-up experiment found personalization raised situational interest, which in turn predicted better learning (Bernacki & Walkington, 2018). Earlier experiments found similar gains from personalised, meaningful contexts (Cordova & Lepper, 1996).
Analogies help most when the shared structure is made explicit (Richland et al., 2007), and they can also plant misconceptions if no one points out where they stop working (Spiro et al., 1989). That is why every analogy Cue gives ends with a "Where it breaks down" line.
The rules Cue follows
- Accurate explanation first, from your own material, with page citations.
- The memory aid is labelled, for example "Memory aid (Football):".
- No new facts, numbers or drug names that are not in your material.
- Mnemonics cover exactly the items in your notes, in their order.
- Analogies end with "Where it breaks down:" when they could mislead.
The memory aid is the start, not the finish
A memory aid helps you store something. What makes it stay is retrieving it again and again, spaced over time. Practice testing and distributed practice are the two techniques with the strongest evidence (Dunlosky et al., 2013). So after a memory aid, take the quiz and let the spaced reviews bring it back before you forget.
Try it on your own lecture. Upload a PDF or slides and get a summary, a quiz and Cue in minutes. Free plan, no card needed.
Start freeQuestions
Which style should I pick?
The one that makes the topic click. Mnemonics suit lists, stories suit pathways, football, cricket and gaming suit systems with roles, timing or thresholds, rhymes suit pairs you confuse, and exam trap suits questions you keep getting wrong.
Can an analogy teach me something wrong?
It can, which is why Cue always gives the accurate explanation first and ends analogies with where they break down. Remember the fact, use the analogy as the hook.
Does this work for subjects other than medicine?
Yes. Cue explains from whatever you upload, so the styles work for law, engineering or any course.
Is it free?
Cue is available on the free plan with a daily question limit. Paid plans raise the limit.
References
- Pashler H, McDaniel M, Rohrer D, Bjork R. Learning styles: concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2008;9(3):105-119. doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
- Craik FIM, Lockhart RS. Levels of processing: a framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior. 1972;11(6):671-684. doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(72)80001-X
- Gentner D. Structure-mapping: a theoretical framework for analogy. Cognitive Science. 1983;7(2):155-170. doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0702_3
- Hidi S, Renninger KA. The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist. 2006;41(2):111-127. doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_4
- Walkington CA. Using adaptive learning technologies to personalize instruction to student interests: the impact of relevant contexts on performance and learning outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology. 2013;105(4):932-945. doi.org/10.1037/a0031882
- Bernacki ML, Walkington C. The role of situational interest in personalized learning. Journal of Educational Psychology. 2018;110(6):864-881. doi.org/10.1037/edu0000250
- Cordova DI, Lepper MR. Intrinsic motivation and the process of learning: beneficial effects of contextualization, personalization, and choice. Journal of Educational Psychology. 1996;88(4):715-730. doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.88.4.715
- Richland LE, Zur O, Holyoak KJ. Cognitive supports for analogies in the mathematics classroom. Science. 2007;316(5828):1128-1129. doi.org/10.1126/science.1142103
- Spiro RJ, Feltovich PJ, Coulson RL, Anderson DK. Multiple analogies for complex concepts: antidotes for analogy-induced misconception in advanced knowledge acquisition. In: Vosniadou S, Ortony A, eds. Similarity and Analogical Reasoning. Cambridge University Press; 1989:498-531. scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Multiple+analogies+for+complex+concepts%22+Spiro+1989
- Twomey C, Kroneisen M. The effectiveness of the loci method as a mnemonic device: meta-analysis. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 2021;74(8):1317-1326. doi.org/10.1177/1747021821993457
- Mar RA, Li J, Nguyen ATP, Ta CP. Memory and comprehension of narrative versus expository texts: a meta-analysis. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 2021;28(3):732-749. doi.org/10.3758/s13423-020-01853-1
- Dunlosky J, Rawson KA, Marsh EJ, Nathan MJ, Willingham DT. Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 2013;14(1):4-58. doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266