X. Principle 7: Retention Flashcards
Understanding is useless if __________ [ultralearning]
… you can’t recall it when you need it.
What is the forgetting curve?
Explain the leaky bucket metaphor. [ultralearning]
The forgetting curve states that we forget things incredibly quickly after learning them, but then this decay tapers off, and the amount of knowledge forgotten lessens over time.
If our minds were a leaky bucket, most of the holes would be at the top, so that water loss reduces once the level drops below them.
What are the 4 memory mechanisms we can use to prevent forgetting when ultralearning? [ultralearning]
- Spacing
- Proceduralisation
- Overlearning
- Mnemonics
What are the implications of using spacing for retention in ultralearning? [ultralearning]
Don’t cram!
If you’re going to spend 10 hours studying something, an hour a day is better than one 10 hour session.
Does spacing learning lead to immediately improved retention? [ultralearning]
No, it actually may lead to a decrease in retention in the short term. However, it is much better in the long run.
What is the difficult balance that we need to get right with spacing for retention in ultralearning? [ultralearning]
Long enough to get the efficiency, but not so long that we need to relearn content.
What is proceduralisation? [ultralearning]
Proceduralisation is learning a skill until it becomes practically automatic.
e.g. ‘like riding a bike’
What is the key benefit of proceduralisation? [ultralearning]
Procedural skills are much less likely to be forgotten than skills or knowledge that require conscious recall.
‘Instead of learning a large volume of knowledge or skills evenly, ______….’ (re: proceduralisation) [ultralearning]
You can emphasise key elements much more frequently, and proceduralise them
e.g. when using a language in a foreign country, there are some core phrases that you’ll use over and over, and never forget.
What is overlearning, and how does it impact retention? [ultralearning]
Overlearning is continued practice beyond the level required to perform adequately.
It has been shown to increase the time memories are stored.
What is an example of overlearning, in practice? [ultralearning]
Practicing assembling a rifle until you can do it correctly once. This is called the ‘learning’ phase.
Continuing to practice from this point is the ‘overlearning’ phase’.
Does overlearning improve the performance of the skill? [ultralearning]
In the instance of doing something correctly, or remembering a fact, once it’s done correctly it can’t be improved.
However, overlearning can increase the durability of the skill or memory.
What are the 2 main methods for applying overlearning? [ultralearning]
- Core practice: continually practicing the core elements of a skill
- Advanced practice: going a level above what’s required, so the core skills are learned in a more difficult domain.
(e. g. learning algebra, and then overlearning the algebra by learning calculus).
I left out mnemonics stuff, because he doesn’t really cover it, and just mentions it’s limitations [ultralearning]
Basically, he concludes that mnemonics can be a bridge to remembering complex things, but they’re rarely the final step.
