The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
The Ebbinghaus or Forgetting Curve was developed by Herman Ebbinghaus in 1885. Ebbinghaus experimented with memory by memorizing lists of 13 nonsense syllables. He measured how long it took to learn a list of nonsense syllables perfectly and how long retention lasts at different intervals. Research has indicated that distributed practice, spreading study time out over several occasions, usually leads to better learning than massed practice in which study time occurs all at once. According to Ebbinghaus, memory lasts longer when the information is meaningful, that is, when it can be easily associated with other ideas. Even the nonsense syllables could evoke associations, making them easier to learn. The Forgetting Curve illustrates the amount data remembered according to time.
Source: Ormrod, J.,1999. Human Learning, 3rd Ed.
How is this information useful in our classes?
Students have the potential to forget less and remember more if they review lecture notes immediately after class and with scheduled reviews. Over time, students are able to retain more and more information. Following the schedule below, students will have reviewed the material a minimum of three times by the time they study for exams.
Students have the potential to forget less and remember more if they review lecture notes immediately after class and with scheduled reviews. Over time, students are able to retain more and more information. Following the schedule below, students will have reviewed the material a minimum of three times by the time they study for exams.
The solution to forgetfulness is regular rehearsal and practice of the material over time. More information is remembered after each review.
Click on this link to see a graph of Beating the Forgetting Curve