Spaced repetition serves as a cognitive enhancement technique. It is well-established that distributing your study sessions yields better results compared to last-minute cramming, yet with an application, you can customize your own spaced repetition plan, enabling you to effectively forge lasting memories for any content you choose.
Michael Nielsen shares an insightful discussion regarding his experiences with spaced repetition on Twitter:
He discusses how he selects what content to include in his review system, what the optimal quantity of information is for each concept, and what mere memorization lacks (grasping the process that employs the memorized content). Nielsen expresses considerable enthusiasm regarding its advantages:
The most significant shift is that memory is no longer an arbitrary occurrence left to fate. Instead, I can ensure that I will retain certain information with minimal exertion: it transforms memory into a choice.
A plethora of applications/programs exist that can assist you in managing a spaced repetition approach, yet Nielsen opted for Anki (ankiweb.net), which is open-source and provides both desktop and mobile applications (that synchronize with each other, which is beneficial if you wish to input data while at a computer and then review it on your phone while waiting in line for coffee or something similar).
Exploring Anki, it appears quite appealing, and I’ve come to realize that I can utilize it to counteract a cognitive bias we all endure: the inclination to forget information that contradicts our beliefs.
Charles Darwin reflects on this in his autobiography:
“For many years, I adhered to a golden rule: whenever I encountered a published fact, a new observation, or a thought that contradicted my overall conclusions, I would make a note of it immediately; for I discovered that such facts and ideas were significantly more likely to slip from memory than favorable ones. Thanks to this practice, I managed to address very few objections to my theories that I had not at least acknowledged and tried to counter.”
(Darwin, 1856/1958, p123).
I maintain notebooks and share Darwin’s tendency to forget “unfavorable” facts, but I am curious if my understanding might be enhanced not just by recording the details but by keeping them in memory – employing a spaced repetition system. I’m going to try it out.
Links & Footnotes:
Anki application (ankiweb.net)
Wikipedia on spaced repetition systems
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809–1882, edited by Nora Barlow. London: Collins
For further insights into the science, refer to this recent review for educators: Weinstein, Y., Madan, C. R., & Sumeracki, M. A. (2018). Teaching the science of learning. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 3(1), 2.
It is worth noting that Anki-based spaced repetition also incorporates elements of retrieval practice and interleaving (other potent educational strategies).