Learning botany concepts mnemonically: Seeing the forest and the trees.

Sixty-one college students read a passage that described a plant classification system and the distinguishing characteristics of the plant groups within that system. There were three experimental conditions: taxonomic, which included a standard figural taxonomy (boxes connected by lines) as an instructional aid; mnemonic, which included pictorial mnemonic (memory-enhancing) representations of classification and characteristics information; and free study, in which the students were instructed to use their own best method(s) to master the passage content. Students were tested on a variety of learning measures immediately after reading the botany text, 2 days later, and 2 months later