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Forgetting happens… In 1885, a German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus was one of the first scientists to study the process of memory. Actually, he studied forgetting . Ebbinghaus had been a grade school teacher in England, and later worked with a group of scientists to study how quickly students forget what they learned during the school day. Through a series of experiments, Ebbinghaus created The Forgetting Curve illustrating how quickly learned information is forgotten.
The F rgetting Curve
Ebbinghaus discovered that information learned only once is quickly forgotten!
Forgetting is a very slippery slope indeed! The sharpest decline in memory of learned content happens in the first twenty minutes after learning it. This memory free-fall continues for about an hour and levels off over the next few days, where little of the original learning can be recalled. Additional factors, such as fatigue, stress, and distraction can make matters worse. How can students improve their retention of learned content? Ebbinghaus studied how quickly information is forgotten because he wanted to develop study techniques to improve memory and recall. He experimented with all sorts of study and learning techniques. He concluded that repetition and review of material over time results in the highest rate of retention. PRODUCT PREVIEW Time remembered (in days) 1 2 3 4 5 6
The F rgetting Curve Showing Time-Spaced Review
Review of information over time substantially improves retention!
Time remembered (In days) 1 2 3 4 5 6
THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY SKILLS 165
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