t for Two: Using Mnemonics to Teach Statistics

Abstract

This article provides a list of statistical mnemonics for instructor use. This article also reports on the potential for such mnemonics to help students learn, enjoy, and become less apprehensive about statistics. Undergraduates from two sections of a psychology statistics course rated 8 of 11 mnemonics as significantly memorable and helpful in learning statistics. Undergraduates rated the 3 remaining mnemonics as helpful after excluding students who did not recall those mnemonics (beyond scale midpoint). Other measures indicated a relatively high regard for the overall use of statistical mnemonics. In particular, mnemonics were rated as motivating and fun. Students also reported moderate belief that mnemonics could reduce statistics anxiety. The variety of positive findings suggests strong promise for statistical mnemonics.