Want to learn how to improve your memory for studying, working, and daily life? It’s common to forget a lot of what we’ve worked on, whether we’re tackling a thick textbook, learning a new language, or trying to understand company processes. This often happens because we fall into the trap of using cramming techniques that don’t really work, leaving us feeling swamped and not retaining much. Research shows that one effective way to team up with your brain for better long-term retention is called spaced retention, or the spacing effect. This case study dives into what the spacing effect is all about. We’ll break down how it works and explore the results it delivers by looking at how it was applied in two real-world contexts.
In essence, this article will cover:
- What is the Spacing Effect
- The Science Behind Spaced Retention
- Mixing Retrieval Practices for Superior Learning
- Real-World Results: From Struggling Learners and Sales Professionals to Lifelong Retention
- In Practice: How to Use Flashcards for Language Learning
- Applying the Spacing Effect in Everyday Life
- Conclusion
What is the Spacing Effect?
First identified by German psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus, the spacing effect is the idea that we remember information better when we spread out our learning over time, instead of cramming it all at once. For example, think of learning information using flashcards over a period of time. Now think of answering a card correctly, and being able to move it to a section you’ll revisit less frequently while keeping the harder ones in a pile you review more often. Each time you revisit the material, you’re reinforcing your mental pathways, making it easier to recall the information later. And then, without even realizing it, the amount of information you need to revisit becomes less and less.
That said, before you assume that using the spacing effect to promote long-term learning is simple, we must inform you that it isn’t that straightforward. There’s a science behind how and when you should revisit what you’ve learned. Understanding this can significantly enhance your ability to improve learning retention.
The Science Behind Spaced Retention
Our brains are complex, and, let’s face it, sometimes a bit stubborn. We don’t have full control over how we remember things, because “memory” isn’t neatly stored in one place. Instead, our memory comes from different parts of the brain working together, creating connections between neurons and on a cellular level.
Cognitive psychology shows us that the brain has limitations. We can only absorb so much information at once, and trying to cram too much on a regular basis just leads to mental overload. This is where spaced learning comes in. By spacing out your learning sessions across a range of spacing intervals, we work with the brain’s natural processes and take advantage of the effects of repetition over a period of time. Each review strengthens those neural pathways, making it easier to recall the information later. This concept of spaced practice applies for learning any new skill or concept.
Now as mentioned earlier in this article, there’s a science to the way you revisit information if you want to get the most out of it. This is because your brain needs just the right amount of challenge to strengthen memories. If you review information too soon, it feels easy, and you miss the chance to reinforce your recall. But if you wait too long, you might forget too much, making it harder to relearn.
Varying the timing and even the way you practice helps your brain build more flexible, durable connections.
Mixing Retrieval Practices for Superior Learning
When you strategically revisit the same information at spaced intervals, it strengthens neural connections to make retrieval easier, improving your memory and ensuring you’re learning in a way that helps you retain information for longer. Ideally, try practicing these skills or lessons in in ways that mirror real-life challenges, e.g. simulated challenges or solving real-world case studies. In addition to randomly spacing out learning to strengthen memory over time, here’s what else you can do:
Variation
Instead of practicing the same way every time, change things up. Try recalling information in different contexts or using different methods. This learning technique helps your brain recognize patterns, compare similarities and differences, and build stronger mental models.
Interleaved Practice
Rather than sticking to one topic or skill for long stretches, alternate between different subjects or problem types. Deliberately leaving gaps or switching focus forces your brain to work harder to recall what you’ve learned, reinforcing those connections.
If you’re looking to go beyond memory improvement practices but also accelerate how you learn new things, it’s worth taking a look at How to Learn Fast deep dive guide.
Real-World Results: From Struggling Learners and Sales Professionals to Lifelong Retention
Studies have shown that spaced repetition helps learners achieve better results with less overall study time. Here’s a detailed look at two real-world results, one in a corporate setting, and the other in the classroom.
Example 1: Spaced Training Boosts Sales Performance in the Workplace
Study: To examine how the timing of their training, over a period of time versus all at once, impacted their performance.
Participants: 64 Sales associates from different agencies of a major German bank.
Overall Goal of Training: Improving participants’ sales competence.
Results: Participants in the Spaced Training conditions implemented what they learnt a lot better than participants who had to learn the knowledge all at once.
More Details about the Study: A group of employees whose job requirements included customer contact, selling the bank’s products and services, and providing information and advice underwent training programs designed to improve their competencies.
Half of the employees participated in traditional training, where they learned everything in a single, continuous session that lasted six days. The other half experienced the same training but spread it out over multiple sessions, with breaks in between. They trained for one day, then worked for seven days, repeating this cycle until they completed six training sessions.
The training methods included lectures by trainers, role-plays, and teamwork. One advantage observed early in the study was that the massed training group often discussed hypothetical learning cases, while the spaced training group shared and discussed real experiences they encountered during the days they returned to work.
At the end of the experiment, the results were clear. Employees in the spaced training group reported feeling more confident in their sales skills and performed better in key areas such as customer engagement and closing deals. The quality of what they learned stuck with them, and they could better apply their knowledge on the job.
Example 2: Medical Students Retain Knowledge Longer with Spaced Learning
Study: To investigate the impact of ‘spaced education’ teaching modules to improve knowledge retention in medical students on knowledge about vitamin D.
Participants: 148 Medical students
Overall Goal of Training: Improving how medical students retain and apply their knowledge of basic science.
Results: Using spaced educational material significantly raised test scores after 24 weeks.
More Details About the Study: At a medical school, 148 students took part in a study to see how spacing out their learning affected long-term memory. The topic was vitamin D, its role in the body, how deficiencies affect health, and the best ways to maintain optimal levels.
Students were split into two groups: one received the material in spaced intervals, with regular testing to reinforce what they learned, while the other group studied the material all at once. After 24 weeks, the students who learned through spaced sessions scored significantly higher on their tests. Even after 72 weeks, while some information faded, those in the spaced group still retained much more than those who crammed the material all at once. In short, spaced practice is much more effective than massed practice.
In Practice: How to Use Flashcards for Language Learning
An easy way to apply the spacing effect to your learning is by using flashcards. Flashcards are small pieces of paper or cards (they can also be digital) with a cue on the front and the answer on the back. Think of a card that asks, How many planets are in the solar system? on the front, with the answer “8” on the back. The goal is to answer the cue correctly without looking at the back.
Flashcards are great for spaced learning because they promote active recall. Furthermore, they allow you to track what you’re learning at optimal spacing intervals instead of massed repetitions. No wonder they’re a popular choice for language learning and verbal recall tasks! If you’re unsure of how to create and use them to grasp the basics of a new language, here’s a step-by-step guide. These steps can also be applied to learning other personal skills.
Step 1: Choose a Flashcard Format
Some people prefer the tactile experience of physical flashcards, while others like the wide variety of customization options of digital cards. Choose what works best for you.
Step 2: Decide on the Type of Content
Do you want to focus on common phrases, vocabulary, grammar rules, or pronunciation? Decide what you’d like to learn (retrieval cues) before creating your deck.
Step 3: Design the Flashcards
If you’re using a digital flashcard app, most will automatically place the retrieval cue on the front and the answer on the back, often with images for better recall. If you’re making physical cards, you can achieve the same effect with handwritten notes and visuals.
Step 4: Organize Your Deck
Group your flashcards based on themes, such as greetings, numbers, or verb conjugations. Start with smaller sets and gradually expand as you become more comfortable. This helps prevent overwhelm and reinforces learning through gradual exposure.
Step 5: Mix Up the Order
Don’t go through your deck in the same sequence every time. Shuffling your flashcards prevents you from memorizing answers based on order rather than actual understanding. Spend more time on challenging cards and less on those you’ve mastered.
Step 6: Spacing of Repetitions
Let forgetting happen: Spacing works because struggling to recall information strengthens memory.
Increase time intervals: Gradually extend the time between reviews as you become more confident with the material. Adjusting optimal spacing intervals results in effective progress.
Applying the Spacing Effect in Everyday Life
Here are a few more ways to use the spacing effect for better retention in any activity:
Organizational training
Allocating time for workforce training is crucial for gaining a competitive advantage. However, training is often conducted in a way that doesn’t yield the best results. Typically, it is delivered as a one-time event and occurs long before the information is applied in the field. This means that if an employee does not take the initiative to practice what they learned, they risk forgetting much of the information.
To promote long-term memory and retention, it is more beneficial to deliver training over time, using the spacing effect. This approach involves providing short bursts of information at intervals, which helps reinforce learning and combat the forgetting curve.
Better study sessions
Many students study by cramming their work in a single session, before an exam, but this method is often unhelpful. They tend to forget most of what they learned soon after. The effects of spacing counteract this by reinforcing knowledge over time. This way, information is more likely to be stored in long-term memory instead of just being remembered for the test.
Ultimately, spaced studying, such as reviewing material weekly rather than daily – helps make things stick, balances cognitive overload, and supports various forms of learning like understanding and application. At a behavioral level, this method encourages more active engagement and boosts understanding of the concepts.
Sparking creativity
It’s a blissful feeling when our creativity flows. But on days that it doesn’t come so easily, trying to force inspiration in one long session usually isn’t helpful. Instead, regularly coming back to ideas and switching things up keeps our creative thoughts fresh and changing. The effects of spacing plays an important role, allowing the subconscious mind to process information in the background while conscious attention is directed elsewhere.
Studies on retention intervals suggest that sometimes the best ideas pop up after we step away from a problem instead of staying locked in on it. At a behavioral level, structured breaks and varied work sessions help maintain mental flexibility, preventing the feeling of being stuck.
Conclusion
We now have access to more research than we did before, yet we still use old methods of learning and retention that don’t serve us well. Adopting the spacing effect for learning is one way we can use evidence methods to help retain information for longer periods. So don’t waste any more time on counterproductive methods. Why don’t you try using the spacing effect as your go-to educational practice? Be it preparing for the next exam, or staying on top of company protocols, ditch having a long single session to cram a huge amount of information, and instead strategically learn bits by bits over some time.
Want to learn more about other learning strategies and techniques? Check out our detailed guide on How to Learn Fast!
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