Effects of a mnemonic technique on subsequent recall of assigned and self-generated passwords

Abstract

Participants were trained on how to use a mnemonic strategy for memorizing assigned passwords or for generating new passwords. Memory for these passwords was examined at short and long recall delays. There was a significant interaction between type of password and recall delay for both the amount of time and number of attempts needed for participants to accurately recall their passwords. Participants trained in how to use the mnemonic technique to generate their own passwords were able to recall them more quickly and accurately than participants who were trained in how to use the mnemonic technique to memorize their assigned passwords. The impact of self-generated passwords on memory was discussed as well as the relative value of the mnemonic training strategy. Areas of future research were identified that may lead to the development of mnemonic training strategies to better enable users to recall their passwords. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.