Ch. 8: Spaced Learning
What does the science of learning say about spaced learning?
It says that spacing is best: learning tends to be much more durable and long-lasting when you spread out your study habits.
What is the difference between the spacing effect, the lag effect, and the interleaving effect?
Spacing effect: spacing is better than massing Lag effect: more spacing, or greater lag, is better Interleaving effect: mixing similar topics during learning sessions is beneficial
What is within-session spacing? What is between-session spacing?
within-session spacing: refers to spacing within a single session between-session spacing: refers to spacing between multiple study sessions
What areas can spaced learning help you commit information to memory?
- Foreign language learning - Problem-solving - Skill-learning
What are the 5 tips related to spaced learning that you can use?
1. Do NOT cram! 2. Plan ahead - Formally schedule space practice schedule - Set reminders 3. Space your practice at multiple levels - Distribute studying across days. - Distribute studying across multiple sessions in a day - Distribute your learning of a particular bit of info across episodes within a learning session. - Think about learning while at the gym. 4. Mix it up 5. Sleep! - Your brain stores information into long-term memory when you sleep.
Why do student's believe cramming is an effective learning strategy when it runs counter to the spacing effect? What might help explain how students perform well after cramming?
1. Possible that some spaced learning, likely within-session spacing, occurred during the cram session. Some learning occurred in lecture, some with the homework, and some with reading the textbook. 2. Research proves the spacing effect. Even if a student passed a test by cramming, they would have done better if they spaced their learning. 3. Student who tells stories about cramming and passing an exam also tells stories of forgetting the material almost immediately.
What is important to keep in mind about optimal lag times?
As the name states, they are optimal. Thus, You will likely see improvements in retention when you space rather than mass study, even when the lag is short and when spacing occurs within a single session.
Why is interleaving better?
Because interleaving is both spaced and mixed.
Why do you not want the lag between studying to be too short?
Because too short of lag will lead to effortless studying. Effortless studying leads to little new learning.
What does the science of learning say about cramming?
Cramming is an ineffective way of promoting long-term learning.
What is it about intermixing that helps learning?
Helps learners discriminate between similar concepts
What studies have been done that provide evidence for the spacing effect?
Hermann Ebbinghaus: - learned a list of 12 syllables - Took 68 consecutive repetitions to learned with massed repetitions - Only 38 with spaced repetitions. 5th Graders: - Taught relatively rare vocabulary words - One group completed tutorial back-to-back - Other group complete second tutorial a week later - Results: spaced group recall was nearly 3x's better
Should you seek the longest lag possible? Why or why not?
No. Having a lag that is too long could cause forgetting to be so complete that the result is starting the learning all over again.
If you are trying to retain material for a week, what is the optimal lag?
On the order of days.
If you are trying to retain material over the duration of an entire semester long course and into future courses, what is the optimal lag?
On the order of weeks.
What is massed studying?
Repetitions that occur in succession
What is spaced studying?
Repetitions that occur spread out over time
What is the takeaway message about interleaving?
Research indicates that interleaving similar types of problems and subgroupings of information can be helpful for learning, allowing you to take advantage of the spacing effect. But it can also help you discriminate between the potentially confusable things that you are learning.
How do studying more frequently and spaced learning relate?
Spaced learning gets you more bang for you buck in the same amount of time. In other words, spaced learning is working smarter, not harder.
When examined massed versus spaced studying, which method do students often choose?
Students typically choose to mass rather than space their studying, and believe it to be beneficial to their learning.
What is lag?
The amount of time between each presentation/session.
What is the interleaving effect?
The effect that demonstrates an advantage for "mixing learning up"
What is the lag effect?
The finding that longer lags tend to produce better learning than shorter lags.
Logically not numerically, what is the optimal lag time?
The optimal lag time is one that is not so short that studying is effortless and not too long that so much information has been forgotten that learning has to begin again from scratch.
What is the spacing effect?
The research backed effect that shows that spaced learning is more effective for committing information to long-term memory than massed learning. Spacing produces more durable learning. Spacing is better than massing.
When are the benefits of interleaving optimal?
They are likely the greatest when mixing together similar content that requires some effort to discriminate.
When you go to study something repeatedly, should the repetitions occur in succession or should the repetitions be spread out over time?
They should be spread out over time.
Does the spacing effect apply to skill-learning?
Yes!
Does the spacing effect apply to problem-solving?
Yes! It is better for your long-term retention of knowledge if you space out solving your practice problems.
Does a greater amount of spacing improve learning?
Yes! Longer lags produce better learner than shorter lags.
What is more beneficial, within-session spacing or between-session spacing?
You get learning benefits from both! When you distribute study and practice within sessions and across sessions, learning improves with both!