Did you know that we forget about 75% of what we learn in the first days?
What’s more, without additional work, after 30 days we retain a maximum of 2-3% of what we have learned! Sounds incredible, but true!
It was the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus who studied this phenomenon and was the first to define the forgetting curve in 1885. This curve describes the decline in memory retention over time. Forgetting occurs because information is temporarily retained according to its usefulness. Our brain needs to know the value of information, its purpose, and makes correlations with our previous knowledge stored in long-term memory. If it finds these correlations, new information is better retained.
But perhaps more important is repetition, but not just any repetition. How you repeat is the key to memorization!
You know the old saying: “Repetition is the mother of learning?” Looks like our old folks knew something.
Hermann Ebbinghaus confirmed that one of the main methods of long-term memorization is spatial repetition. Repeating new knowledge many times within a few hours will not help us to memorize better, because the memory has not had time to initiate the disintegration process. For optimal effect, repetition needs to be done at longer intervals and given meaning.
In 1968, Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin proposed the multi-store memory model, which assumes the existence of three distinct memory stores: sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. Each memory store differs in its information processing (encoding), storage capacity and retention time. Information passes from one store to another in a linear fashion and has been described as an information processing model (like a computer) with an input, process and output.
Information is detected by the sense organs and enters sensory memory, which stores a fleeting impression of sensory stimuli. If we pay attention to that information, it enters short-term memory and, if the information is given meaning (elaborative replay), it is transferred to long-term memory.
Sense – Attention – Meaning = key stages of memorization.
Sensory memory has an extremely short duration (about ¼ to ½ second) and a very large capacity, specialized for each sense. Information gets into sensory memory through the 5 senses (visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, olfactory), and most of the information is lost shortly through the disintegration process.
This is where attention comes in to activate short-term memory. If attention is focused on one sense, then information will be transferred to short-term memory. This has a duration of up to 30 seconds and a limited capacity. Information is lost through replacement or the process of disintegration.
At this stage, repetition helps extend memory beyond the 30 seconds. For example, repeating a phone number to remember it long enough to make that call, but without giving it meaning or connecting the information with previously accumulated knowledge.
But! Information will only pass into long-term memory if we give it meaning. Long-term memory has unlimited capacity and duration and encodes information, especially semantically. If we add meaning to the information (through elaborative repetition), it is transferred to long-term memory.
Elaborative replay involves the process of linking new information in a meaningful way with information already stored in long-term memory. For example, you can learn lines from a play by associating them with your character’s dialogue and behavior, based on similar personal experiences you have in your memory.
So!
From Hermann Ebbinghaus’s early observations of the forgetting curve to the model developed by Atkinson and Shiffrin and other more recent models, we now have a better understanding of how our memory works. The key lies in the application of the techniques of spatial repetition and elaborative rehearsal, which transform temporary information into lasting knowledge. It is a process that requires attention and significance, but the long-term benefits are undeniable.
So when you want to learn something new or improve your skills, remember this “mother of learning” and apply it with intention and strategy. Whether it’s academic study, professional development, or personal hobbies, well-managed repetition can be that one tool that makes all the difference.
This old but evergreen principle helps you turn every day into an opportunity to learn and grow.
Try it!
A day full of unforgettable memories!
Claudiu
