The Psychology of Forgetting and How Flashcards Fight It

Have you ever worked hard to memorize for an exam, just to forget most of it shortly after? This all-too-common experience is accounted for by the "forgetting curve," a principle developed by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century. Ebbinghaus found that retention of memory decreases exponentially over time without feedback. As an example, we could forget as much as 70% of recently learned information within 24 hours unless we actively rehearse it. 



But the good news is: strategic learning techniques, such as employing flashcards with spaced repetition, can readily defeat this inherent deterioration of memory.


The Forgetting Curve

The forgetting curve demonstrates how information fades over time when no effort is being made to remember it. At first, the rate of declining memory is sharp, but it flattens out over a period. This implies that without reinforcement, our memory to recall stuff decreases at a very fast pace.


Structural Learning


But Ebbinghaus also discovered that rehearsing information at spaced intervals can support memory and enhance retention. This process, referred to as spaced repetition, is practiced by reviewing material at broader and broader intervals in order to fight forgetting effectively .


How Flashcards Take Advantage of the Forgetting Curve

Flashcards are an effective tool that takes advantage of the concepts of the forgetting curve and spaced repetition. Here is how:


Active Recall: Flashcards promote active recall by making you pull out information from memory instead of passively reading over notes. Doing so reinforces neural pathways and maximizes retention.


Spaced Repetition: Through spaced repetition with flashcards, you reinforce the memory just as you are about to forget it, essentially leveling the forgetting curve. 



Personalized Learning: New flashcard apps employ algorithms to vary the rate of card review according to your performance, so difficult material is more frequently reviewed and mastered material is reviewed less often .


Including Flashcards in Your Study Habits

To maximize the use of flashcards:


Make Good Cards: Make every flashcard address a single idea or question to prevent cognitive overload.


Utilize Spaced Repetition Software (SRS): Applications such as Anki or Quizlet can schedule flashcard review according to spaced repetition algorithms.


Review Daily: Practice daily flashcard review to solidify learning and battle forgetting.


Monitor Progress: Keep track of performance to determine areas requiring additional practice and modify study schedule as needed.


Conclusion

Knowledge of the psychology of forgetting gives you the power to choose study habits that promote recall. Using flashcards and the method of spaced repetition, you can efficiently fight the forgetting curve, allowing your hard-worked knowledge to remain with you for longer.

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