<p>Hi I'm trying to understand the limitations of the techniques which &quot;memory champions&quot; employ, in comparison to say: working memory.</p>
<p>Working memory seems quite limited, but it is at least fast to encode &amp; access.
Also it seems to be able to encode arbitrary information (e.g. verbally).</p>
<p>How do memory palaces (&amp; similar mnemonics) compare to working memory in terms of encoding speed &amp; flexibility of content? Are all useful mnemonics extremely specialized/limited like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic_major_system" rel="nofollow noreferrer">major system</a>?</p>
<p>P.S. I would be particularly interested if you could give evolutionary context for your answer or why the brain works this way.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-21T21:34:33.560Z
Welcome to psych.SE.  This question looks very similar to others on the forum: [Most efficient (highest-bandwidth) memory encoding scheme?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/25137/7001), [What does the literature suggest about the optimal strategy for quickly memorizing various types of content?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/1378/7001), and [Common latent feature among all "memory techniques"](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/24306/7001).  Not much in the way of answers though.
Arnon Weinberg
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2022-10-22T01:33:03.397Z
@ArnonWeinberg I appreciate the links. But I'm specifically wondering what properties of working memory mnemonics cannot emulate (e.g. perhaps encoding speed).
profPlum
<memory><working-memory><mnemonic>
Pros & Cons of "Memory Palace" vs regular "Working Memory"
profPlum
# Pros & Cons of "Memory Palace" vs regular "Working Memory"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-19)

Hi I'm trying to understand the limitations of the techniques which "memory champions" employ, in comparison to say: working memory.

Working memory seems quite limited, but it is at least fast to encode & access.
Also it seems to be able to encode arbitrary information (e.g. verbally).

How do memory palaces (& similar mnemonics) compare to working memory in terms of encoding speed & flexibility of content? Are all useful mnemonics extremely specialized/limited like the [major system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic_major_system)?

P.S. I would be particularly interested if you could give evolutionary context for your answer or why the brain works this way.

**Tags:** memory, working-memory, mnemonic

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to psych.SE.  This question looks very similar to others on the forum: [Most efficient (highest-bandwidth) memory encoding scheme?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/25137/7001), [What does the literature suggest about the optimal strategy for quickly memorizing various types of content?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/1378/7001), and [Common latent feature among all "memory techniques"](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/q/24306/7001).  Not much in the way of answers though.  
> **username_0**: @ArnonWeinberg I appreciate the links. But I'm specifically wondering what properties of working memory mnemonics cannot emulate (e.g. perhaps encoding speed).  

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