A few empirical studies of mnemonic techniques were conducted in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then, until the 1960s, very little research was done on mnemonics. A revival of research interest in mnemonics, in the late 1960s, accompanied the general acceptability of cognitive processes as a legitimate area of research. Now we're back where we started a century ago--studying mental processes. Visual imagery has played a central role in mnemonic techniques and systems since ancient times, and recent research has indicated that imagery can be a powerful learning aid for many kinds of verbal material. Strategies that have been recommended for making effective visual associations include forming a visual image of two items interacting with each other, picturing the image vividly, and using bizarre associations. Recent research has found that interaction and vividness are important, but that bizarreness is probably not important. Recent research has also indicated that it is generally more effective for learners to construct their own mediators than to have them provided by someone else. Finally, researchers in the 1970s have suggested, as was also suggested a century ago, that mnemonics may have applications useful in education. (Author/GW)