Theory into Practice - How to remember more

So we have learned about how we have learnt about memory. New technology that has improved how we can ‘see’ our brain at work. From this we have explored the different types of memories. Short term memory. Long term memory. Memory for skills. Memory for experiences. Memory for knowledge. Lastly, we have learned why we remember somethings but not others. How attention allows us to actually grab information and put it into our filing cabinet. How meaning allows us to file the information in the right place so we can find it later. We have also learned how association can help us add file the knowledge in more places and increases our chances of finding it later.

But what does this all mean? Sure, it is great to know. It is great for dinner parties…if you can remember what you have read! (pun intended). But that does this mean for you?

Over the next weeks, we will explore how to use this knowledge to improve our memory in everyday life. We will look at techniques to better encode information and increase our chances to recall and remember information later.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.

Repetition…

How many of you have learned for an exam by writing and rewriting things over and over and over again.

‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. Long I stood and look down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth’. Please don’t write in, saying this is wrong. After all, I did write it from memory! (I thought it would be cheating to look it up and check!).

My point is, I had to memorise this poem in high school. That is over 15 years ago! And I can still remember it. How did I remember it? Well, apart from listening to myself read poetry while I slept (which hasn’t been proven as a good way to learn. However, I can vouch for the fact that it is a great way to disturb your sleep and wake up creeped out by your own voice reading poetry!), I repeatedly read it out to myself. Over and over and over…and (well you get the point) over again.

However, studies have shown that while repetition is necessary for learning, it is does not guarantee that you will actually learn something.[1] You still need to attend to it to help you to learn it. Research use the term deliberate practice. This involves repetition but also attention and rehearsal. It can lead to new knowledge or skills that can be used in more complex situations later. Instead of mere repetition, deliberate practice involves a focussed approach to achieve a defined goal.[2] This focus requires you to pay attention an improves learning.

And there’s more, even if you get to the point where you have learned something. Continuing with the repetition or ‘overlearning’ continues to strengthen learning. However, with cognitive tasks, that is tasks that involve thinking, overlearning was linked with people forgetting quicker.

While this sounds good, it also is the reason why cramming for exams is not great for retaining information after the exam.

How many of you are like me and cram for exams? Leave the reading too late and spend the week (or sometimes day) before the exam cramming the knowledge into your noggin? It seems to work at the time and fortunately, has helped me to pass me exams. However, I do notice that if you ask me later about a concept that I learnt for that exam, I have a vague notion but nothing really useful.

The reason for this is, that in cramming you haven’t had the chance to really learn the material. Let alone overlearn it.

Interestingly enough, though, the different types of information benefit differently from repetition. Studies have shown that problem-solving skills increase with repetition but verbatim learning actually decreases.[3]

[1] (Bekerian & Baddeley, 1980)

[2] (Duvivier, et al., 2011)

[3] (Mayer, 1083)