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Spaced Repetition

Memory

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

29 views

Spaced Repetition

Memory

Uploaded by

aiscyparvatishiv

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Spaced Repetition

Typically, students dedicate more and more time to

studying as their exam approaches, cramming an entire

course material in only a few days or weeks. Does this

sound familiar? However, one of the most impactful

learning strategies is “spaced repetition” spacing out

your studying over several short periods of time over

several days and weeks (Newport, 2007).

Versteeg et al. (2020) defined spaced learning as follows: “Spaced learning involves

(specified) educational encounters that are devoted to the same (specified) material and

distributed over a (specified) number of periods separated by a (specified) interstudy

interval.”

Spacing out studying enables better long-term retention of knowledge.

Cepeda et al. (2006) reviewed 184 research articles and found that, when

learners increased the time between study periods of the same material, their

retention level of the material increased.

The figure below displays that spaced practice with enough interstudy time for forgetting is

best for long-term retention.

Figure 1. Massed Practice, Spaced Practice, Superior Spaced Practice

Dr. Piotr Wozniak researched the optimal amount of time for spacing out review sessions and
he recommended optimal spaced repetition intervals:

 1st repetition: 1 day after the initial learning session

 2nd repetition: 7 days after the initial learning session
 3rd repetition: 16 days after the initial learning session
 4th repetition: 35 days after the initial learning session

But you don’t have to strictly follow this interval. The best spaced repetition time interval still

varies from learner to learner.

What’s the science behind spaced repetition?

Dr. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885) showed

that forgetting begins immediately after

learning, when 20 minutes have passed,

only 58.2% of memory remains. After 1

day, about 34% and after 6 days, about

25% of memory remains.

According to Voice and Stirton (2020), learners who use spaced repetition had the highest

exam score of 70% compared to the other groups of students in the study, which proves that

learners who apply spaced repetition to their studies have the best test results.

Avoid: Leaving too long or too short a gap between revisiting sessions.

Do: Revisit your notes just before you forget it.

References

Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in

verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological

bulletin, 132(3), 354.

Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). 'Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology,' New York:

Dover.

Newport, C. (2006). How to become a straight-a student: the unconventional strategies real

college students use to score high while studying less. Three Rivers Press.

Versteeg, M., Hendriks, R. A., Thomas, A., Ommering, B. W., & Steendijk, P. (2020).

Conceptualising spaced learning in health professions education: a scoping review.

Medical education, 54(3), 205-216.

Voice, A., & Stirton, A. (2020). Spaced Repetition: Towards More Effective Learning in

STEM. New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, 15(1), n1.