Spaced repetition serves as a mnemonic strategy. It is well understood that distributing your study sessions yields better results than cramming, and by utilizing an app, you can customize your own spaced repetition framework, enabling you to effectively develop dependable memories for any content you wish.
Michael Nielsen has an excellent discussion on his application of spaced repetition on Twitter:
He discusses how he determines what to include in his review system, the optimal amount of information for each entry, and what memory alone lacks (comprehension of the processes that utilize the memorized items). Nielsen expresses great enthusiasm about the advantages:
The most significant change is that memory is no longer a random occurrence left to luck. Instead, I can assure that I will retain something with minimal effort: it turns memory into a choice.
Numerous apps and programs can assist you in managing a spaced repetition system, but Nielsen opted for Anki (ankiweb.net), which is open-source and offers both desktop and mobile applications (that synchronize with each other, which comes in handy if you need to input information while at a computer and later review it on your phone while waiting for coffee or similar).
Once I looked into Anki, it appeared very appealing, and I realized I could utilize it to counteract a cognitive bias we all experience: the inclination to forget inconvenient facts that contradict our beliefs.
Charles Darwin notes this in his autobiography:
“For many years, I adhered to a guiding principle, which was that whenever a published fact, new observation, or thought confronted me that ran counter to my general conclusions, I would make a note of it without exception and immediately; for I had learned through experience that such facts and thoughts were much more likely to slip from memory than those that were favorable. Due to this practice, very few objections were raised against my views that I had not at least acknowledged and tried to address.”
(Darwin, 1856/1958, p123).
I possess notebooks, and I share Darwin’s propensity for forgetting “unfavorable” facts, yet I contemplate whether my reasoning might be enhanced by not only recording these facts but also retaining them in memory – employing a spaced repetition system. I intend to try it out.
Links & Footnotes:
Anki app (ankiweb.net)
Wikipedia on spaced repetition systems
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809–1882, edited by Nora Barlow. London: Collins
For additional 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.
I observe that Anki-based spaced repetition also incorporates elements of retrieval practice and interleaving (other potent learning strategies).