Forgetting curve and how to improve your memory

May 29, 2010 4 Comments by

The graph shown here is called “The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve”. ebbinghaus forgetting curve It indicates the rate at which human beings forget new information. As you can see, we forget almost 70% of what we learn within 24 hours. Even in the first 1 hour, you’ll forget more than half of what you’ve learned.

Solution to this problem of forgetfulness, is regular revising and practice of the knowledge and skills over a period of time.

Here are some techniques to increase your memory.

1. Regular revision – Recall what you have learned on a regular basis. The hour/day/week/month model is one. Ebbinghaus Studies also found that a stable long-term memory is established only after an average of 7 repetitions. That means you need to review a same lesson several times before you can effectively retain it in memory.

Let’s say on day 1 you learned a lesson. They should be reviewed once to twice again on the same day, once more on the second day, once more in a week, once more in two weeks, and again in a month. Research suggests that the spacing is different for individuals. Recent research has shown that rehearsal just prior to sleep is a powerful technique.




2. Take notes and prepare a short note – Write up the lesson, in your own words with diagrams, and prepare a summary or short note of the lesson. This can result in dramatic increases in learning (20-30%). Then re-read a few times afterwords.

3. Repetition – Before starting a new study session, repeat (not in parrot fashion) the what you’ve studied previously. Take five or ten minutes at the start to revise the previous content.

4. Practice – Do questions, past papers after the course. This prevents reliance on short-term memory and gives you a chance to develop long term knowledge and skills.

Related:

Memory tips – කරුණු දිගුකාලීන මතකයට යැවීම 
Mind maps for study, memory and to plan your activities
Knowlege society – Sri Lankan perspective

Related posts:

  1. Review Technique- How to keep information in long term memory?
  2. Memory tips – විශය කරුණු දිගු කාලීන මතකයට යවන්න
study tips

About the author

University Senior Lecturer at University of Sri Jayewardenepra, Sri Lanka

4 Responses to “Forgetting curve and how to improve your memory”

  1. M.Burhan says:

    I read the above tips which says to increase our memory power.
    It he

  2. Flexible Focus #8: Memory is a slippery slope « Active Garage says:

    [...] progress in learning a skill with practice over time. More significant and less understood is the forgetting curve, the phenomenon by which without periodic review in the short term, we forget more than half of [...]

  3. wicky says:

    This method sounds all right if you have to remember only a few things. But if a student has to study the full sylabus of eight subjects for one full year, the time required to repeat the leasons is definetely not enough. Therefore this method is a failure.

    But the question is why bother to remember. Facts are facts. They dont change. So if you know how to access these facts when you want them, that is all what you require. Memarising facts is a stupid thing. If the education system requires the students to memarise like this, then such an education system is a failure.

    Then what should we do. All what you should do is to learn the application of these lessons. Reffer the book and apply what is in the book to solve real life problems. Then without wasting your time you will be a usefull studen to the comunity and you will be a person who can solve the problems of the sociaty. THIS IS WAHT WE REQUIRE. NOT MEMARISING ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR PERSONAL DATA.

  4. Sandali says:

    Thanks for wonderful advice on how to study.

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