![]() This means the effort students have to apply to recall material in each testing session is significant leading to deeper and more durable learning. ![]() It appeared that by applying frequent training in learning, the information was solidified by repeated recalling.īy testing students at progressively longer intervals, spaced repetition allows some forgetting to set in. He discovered that information is easier to recall when it's built upon things you already know, and the forgetting curve was flattened by every repetition. By repeating new information at the point when we start to forget it, Spaced repetition forces your brain to improve the connection between nerve cells.Įbbinghaus' premise was that each repetition in learning increases the optimum interval before the next repetition is needed (for near-perfect retention, initial repetitions may need to be made within days, but later they can be made after years). That is also why Spaced repetition works so well. In other words, memories are strengthened by things we encounter regularly and frequently. It is what allows memories to build, like an exercise muscle. Without a little forgetting, you get no benefit from further study. In his book How We Learn, memory expert Benedict Carey states: “Some amount of breakdown must occur for us to strengthen learning when we revisit learning material. Repetition based on active recall (especially spaced repetition).Īs Ebbinghaus put it: “With any considerable number of repetitions, a suitable distribution of them over a space of time is decidedly more advantageous than the massing of them at a single time.” Forgetting Curve with Spaced Repetition.He asserted that the best methods for increasing the strength of memory are: He further hypothesized that the base forgetting rate differs little between individuals. how meaningful it is), its representation and other physiological factors such as stress and sleep. He showed this rate of decay in a graph called the Forgetting Curve.Įbbinghaus published "Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology" in 1885 and hypothesized that the speed of forgetting depends on a number of factors such as the difficulty of the learned material (e.g. In the late 1880’s, psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus became the first person to systematically tackle the analysis of memory, and he did this by spending years memorizing lists of nonsensical syllables that he made up.īy meticulously recording his results – how many times he studied each list, the time intervals between his study sessions, and how much he was able to remember – Ebbinghaus was able to chart the rate at which memories “decay” over time. The more and stronger the neural connections you develop the better you have learned something. As you recall information these connected neurons and synapses become stronger making things easier to remember. When we acquire new knowledge (of any kind), neurons and the synapses that connect them become more strongly connected, which creates a stronger network and allows the neurons to communicate with each other faster and more efficiently. The human brain has around 86 billion nerve cells called neurons which are fundamental building blocks of the brain. Today we're going to understand the science behind why we remember or forget things, understand how spaced repetition works, learn about the best spaced repetition intervals to use, learn about the best spaced repetition systems to use and finally look at some practical ways to start using spaced repetition. When combined with active recall spaced repetition can help you remember things for longer and in less time. Breaking up your study time can also allow for other activities and help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle while studying. ![]() By spacing study sessions out more information is encoded into long-term memory than by cramming in sessions even if you spend fewer actual hours studying. Spaced repetition is the process of testing material over progressively longer intervals in order to increase the effort of recall and thus embed knowledge further into long-term memory.
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