NYNP blog post 1-27-09

Brains Process Information Better in Chunks
New study reinforces this concept
Helpful training tip:

When training staff or otherwise giving them information that we expect them to remember, it's useful to keep in mind that the human brain remembers information best when it's chunked into smaller, related units of information. Long, continuous presentations of information confuse us, but we can understand when the information is broken up and organized.

This is true for phone numbers (xxx) yyy-zzzz, social security numbers xxx-yy-zzzz, top ten lists, text broken into paragraphs by topic, books broken into chapters by subject, songs structured into choruses & verses, etc. There are countless examples in everyday life.

A recent study looked into whether remembering chunked information is due to nature or nurture -- do we remember information that's chunked because we've been taught to do so, or because of our brain's biology? The researchers found that babies remember information better when it's chunked by concept, suggesting that this is a fundamental way the brain works.

So, when you're creating a training, writing a memo, or otherwise presenting information, remembering to chunk the information will help your target audience remember your message.

If you'd like to read the details of the study, it was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and can be accessed on their website here: http://tinyurl.com/ctccj4