This article describes a teaching demonstration in which the names of the seven dwarfs are used to introduce and explain basic processes of memory for an introductory psychology or cognition class. Recall and recognition are contrasted in order to develop an understanding of other important memory principles: organization by sound, letter, and/or meaning; the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon; long-term memory; and short-term memory. Empirical verifications of this teaching method found it to be effective in helping students master the principles of memory.
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