Psychology Chapter on Spaced Learning

The idea that the amount of learning is directly proportional to the time spent learning.

The act of engaging in a task repeatedly to improve skill or knowledge.

The process of revisiting material multiple times to strengthen memory and understanding.

Hermann Ebbinghaus pioneered the scientific study of memory and learning, using nonsense syllables to eliminate pre-existing knowledge.

Artificial combinations of letters designed to study memory without the influence of real words.

The increase in brain size and complexity due to learning and experience.

The ability of the brain to adapt to changes in the environment, both physical and cognitive.

The rate at which new information is acquired.

The process of strengthening neural connections through repeated practice, resulting in increased brain volume in specific regions.

The idea that repeated exposure to information without organization or meaning may not result in learning. Learning requires active engagement with the material.

Spreading out learning sessions over time, leading to faster learning and better retention compared to cramming.

The phenomenon where learning occurs more effectively when information is spaced out over time, as opposed to being crammed into one session.

The tendency for the brain to return to its normal size and complexity after a period of learning, suggesting that not all structural changes are permanent.

A study that examined the brains of London taxi drivers and found that their posterior hippocampus was larger than the hippocampus of control subjects.

The part of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and spatial navigation. It's a small but crucial structure!

A research study that investigated brain changes in medical students during and after intensive exam periods.

The region of the brain involved in spatial processing, movement, attention, and language.

The increase in gray matter volume observed in the parietal cortex and posterior hippocampus of medical students after studying.

The lasting impact of learning on the brain, even after the initial learning period.

Spaced learning, also known as distributed practice, is a learning strategy that involves spreading out learning sessions over time instead of cramming everything at once.

Melton's experiment found that repeating a word list with time gaps between repetitions (spaced practice) resulted in better recall than presenting the list twice in close succession (massed practice).

The lag effect refers to the observation that the benefit of repeated study increases as the amount of time between study sessions increases. In other words, the longer the spacing, the better the memory retrieval.

Spaced learning is more effective than massed practice even when the total study time is the same. This means that it's better to spread out your study sessions over time than to cram everything into one short period.

Spaced learning is a learning strategy that has been scientifically proven to improve memory recall. It involves distributing study sessions over time, rather than cramming information all at once.

Repeatedly testing yourself on material drastically improves memory compared to just studying.

The act of generating an answer, rather than being given it, strengthens memory significantly.

A study comparing groups that repeatedly studied and tested material, studied but not tested, tested but not studied, and neither studied nor tested after successful recall.

Group that continuously studied and tested the Swahili-English word pairs throughout the week.

Group that studied the word pair only once after successful recall, and then didn't test themselves further.

Group that studied the word pair after successful recall, but never tested themselves again.

Group that tested themselves after successful recall but never studied the word pair again.

Repeatedly practicing the recall of information leads to better memory retention compared to passive re-exposure. It's like exercising your brain to make it stronger.

The effect shows that having to retrieve the answer (testing yourself) results in greater memory retention than being presented with the answer (simply reading).

When you make an error during recall, it can actually strengthen the incorrect information in your memory. But, feedback can help correct this.

Motivation, whether it's from external rewards or internal curiosity, can boost learning efficiency. It makes your brain more receptive to new information.

Curiosity acts as an internal motivator, driving your interest in learning something new. This desire to know helps you remember information better.

The act of successfully recalling information from memory strengthens that information in your mind. This is more effective than simply being presented with the information.

Testing yourself immediately after learning something new makes it more likely that you will remember it later. The sooner you test, the stronger the memory.