<em>With exams coming to a close, this week our ‘Memory Man’ James Paterson, psychology teacher at independent school LVS Ascot and dual Welsh Memory Champion, turns his attention to helping out our entire readership with a common problem for everyone – remembering names and faces.</em> <em>With exams coming to a close, this week our ‘Memory Man’ James Paterson, psychology teacher at independent school LVS Ascot and dual Welsh Memory Champion, turns his attention to helping out our entire readership with a common problem for everyone – remembering names and faces.</em> One of the most common memory issues teachers face is: How on earth can I remember the names of all the students in my class? Well, the answer is surprisingly simple and, as well as being useful for teachers, this is a skill that applies to everyone because people are very disappointed if you forget their name yet very impressed if you remember it.

When I explain this to people, I always refer to what is known as the baker-Baker paradox.

This refers to the curious fact that if someone tells you that they are a baker by profession then you are much more likely to remember that than if someone tells you that their name is Baker. Even though the same piece of information has been given, it is easier for people to remember the profession because when you are told “I am a baker” you are more likely to make mental associations, perhaps even unconsciously, between the profession and the individual. You might imagine what their shop looks like or that person baking a loaf of bread, etc.

If however someone tells you that their name is Baker, then these associations are less likely to happen. You are not thinking about the word ‘baker’ as much when it has been delivered as a name rather than a profession. So, when you want to memorise a name you have to use your imagination to create these associations for yourself, no matter how weird or illogical they may seem. If someone is called Oliver for example, you could imagine them begging (like Oliver Twist), if their name is Claudia you could imagine them floating on a cloud (cloud sounds similar to the first part of Claudia and it is amazing how easily the full name can be recalled with only the most tenuous of associations).

Surnames can be added into this too. Oliver Jackson for example could be begging holding Michael Jackson’s white hat instead of a bowl, and Claudia Eggerton could be throwing eggs at you from her floating cloud. If you actually take a few seconds to look at these people and imagine them doing this then you will be amazed at how easy recall can be. It can even be quite good fun. It may take a bit of practice but before long you will be able to do it with a new name almost instantly. In short, all of this is about using your imagination to create associations and not being concerned if the results are bizarre and illogical because they will certainly be memorable!