1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,240 Hello listeners, welcome to The Science of Self, where you improve your life from the 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,120 inside out. 3 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:22,640 Today is April 12, 2024, and today we are diving into how the brain memorizes, all based 4 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,400 on the insights from Peter Holland's book, Super Brain. 5 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:34,440 To learn more about Peter Holland's and his work, check out his website at bit.ly.com. 6 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:39,680 But before we jump in, let's take a deep breath and get ready to unlock some powerful 7 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:52,840 strategies on how we can learn and remember anything. 8 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,040 Memory of course is heavily related to learning. 9 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:00,920 People are seldom said to have learned something if they can't really remember any of it. 10 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,200 This is why so many techniques and methods around learning focus on recall. 11 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:11,640 As with other aspects of our cognition, however, we can drastically improve our memory if we 12 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:18,160 take the time to understand its optimal function and how we can support this for better learning. 13 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,160 If memory is a storage system that exists within specific neural pathways, then learning 14 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:28,360 is about changing neural pathways to adapt one's behavior and thinking to the emergence 15 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,140 of new information. 16 00:01:30,140 --> 00:01:33,920 They depend on each other because the goal of learning is to assimilate new knowledge 17 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:40,000 into memory, and memory is useless without the ability to learn more. 18 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:46,320 Many memory techniques exist, but they all truly function on the contents of this chapter. 19 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,160 Memorization is how we store and retrieve information for use, essentially the process 20 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:51,160 of learning. 21 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,720 And there are three steps to creating a memory. 22 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:58,620 An error in any of these steps will result in knowledge that is not effectively converted 23 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:04,560 to memory, a weak memory, or the feeling of, I can't remember his name, but he was wearing 24 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:16,080 purple, one, encoding, two, storage, three, retrieval. 25 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,520 Learning is the step of processing information through your senses. 26 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,880 We do this constantly, you're doing it right now. 27 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:28,320 We encode information, both consciously and subconsciously, through all of our senses. 28 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,980 If you're reading a book, you're using your eyes to encode information. 29 00:02:31,980 --> 00:02:35,340 But how much attention and focus are you actually giving it? 30 00:02:35,340 --> 00:02:40,160 The more attention and focus you devote to an activity, the more conscious your encoding 31 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,160 becomes. 32 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:46,840 Otherwise, it can be said that you subconsciously encode information, like listening to music 33 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:52,480 at a cafe, or seeing traffic pass you by at a red traffic light. 34 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:56,480 Many people mistakenly think they have a bad memory, when it may be more accurate to say 35 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,440 that it's a question of attention. 36 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,360 Such a person might forget the name of someone they just met, not because they have a faulty 37 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:08,760 memory, but because they simply weren't paying much attention when they were introduced. 38 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:16,120 But they do remember in great detail the adorable dog on a lead walking past at just that moment. 39 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:22,480 How much focus and attention you devote also determines how strong the memory is, and consequently, 40 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:27,080 whether that memory only makes it to your short-term memory, or if it passes through 41 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,120 the gate to your long-term memory. 42 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:35,280 If you're reading a book while watching television, your encoding is probably not too deep or 43 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:36,280 strong. 44 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:41,160 Similarly, you're more likely to remember something that has strong emotional significance 45 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:46,240 for you when compared with something that doesn't really concern you beyond the intellectual 46 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,240 level. 47 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:53,880 Storage is the next step after you've experienced information with your senses and encoded it. 48 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,360 What happens to the information once it passes through your eyes or ears? 49 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,560 There are three choices for where this information can go, and they determine whether it's a 50 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,760 memory that you will consciously know exists. 51 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:12,680 There are essentially three memory systems, sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term 52 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,460 memory. 53 00:04:14,460 --> 00:04:19,920 The last step of the memory process is retrieval, which is when we actually use our memories 54 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,700 and can be said to have learned something. 55 00:04:22,700 --> 00:04:27,120 You might be able to recall it from nothing, or you might need a cue to bring the memory 56 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:28,680 up. 57 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,200 Long-term memories might only be memorized in a sequence or as part of a whole, like 58 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:38,680 reciting the ABCs and then realizing you need to sing to remember how it goes. 59 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:44,440 Usually, however much attention you devoted to the storage and encoding phases of memory 60 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,940 determines just how easy it is to retrieve those memories. 61 00:04:48,940 --> 00:04:53,400 Most of the learning process isn't necessarily focused on retrieval. 62 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,160 It's concentrated on the storage aspect and what you can do to force information from 63 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:04,480 sensory and short-term areas into long-term ones. 64 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,840 Think about when you cram for a test. 65 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:11,600 You want information you experienced to be in your brain for perhaps 24 hours, which 66 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:17,640 means it has to exist beyond short-term memory and certainly beyond sensory memory. 67 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,320 You might not care if you remember this information about the French Revolution at the end of 68 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:22,320 the year. 69 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:26,880 So you'll reach a level of attention and focus that will push the information into 70 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,440 the hazy area between short and long-term memory. 71 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,060 In reality, what's happening is that you will rehearse the information enough to make 72 00:05:36,060 --> 00:05:41,520 a very faint imprint on your long-term memory, but after that, the impression fades pretty 73 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,520 quickly. 74 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:48,440 Accelerating your learning, in a sense, is the same as improving your memory capacity 75 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,160 and how absorbent your memory is. 76 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,760 The more sponge-like the better. 77 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:58,760 It's also about giving you conscious control over the steps of the process that normally 78 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,080 run automatically. 79 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:07,960 If you know how and why your memory works, you can squeeze the most out of it. 80 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:08,960 Forgetting 81 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:18,440 However, learning is both the process of improving memory while also getting better at not forgetting. 82 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:20,400 Why do we forget? 83 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,000 Why can't we remember this fact? 84 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,160 How did we ever let something slip from our brains? 85 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:32,400 As you've read, forgetting is usually a failure or shortcoming in the storage process. 86 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:37,040 The information you want only makes it to short-term memory, not long-term. 87 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:41,080 The problem isn't that you can't find the information in your brain, it's that the 88 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:45,440 information wasn't embedded strongly enough to begin with. 89 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,720 This may have happened partly because you never cemented the memory by recalling it 90 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:55,440 again and again, i.e., you didn't strengthen those tentative neural connections in your 91 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:00,800 brain seeing that they weren't really needed, let them go. 92 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:05,560 Sometimes it's easier to think about forgetting as a failure in learning. 93 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:10,120 There are generally three different ways you retrieve or access your memories. 94 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:11,840 One, recall. 95 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,040 Two, recognition. 96 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,920 Three, relearning. 97 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,960 Recall is when you remember a memory without external cues. 98 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:26,000 It's when you can recite something on command in a vacuum, for example, looking at a blank 99 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:31,200 piece of paper and then writing down the capitals of all the countries in the world. 100 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,760 When you can recall something, you have the strongest memory of it. 101 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:41,280 You've either rehearsed it enough or attached enough significance to it so that it is an 102 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:45,560 incredibly strong memory within your long-term memory. 103 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:50,000 You go into your brain's storage, find exactly what you're looking for, and reproduce it 104 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:51,880 in full. 105 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:57,640 Of course, because recall represents the strongest level of memory, it's also typically the toughest 106 00:07:57,640 --> 00:07:59,120 to achieve. 107 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:04,560 It would generally require hours of rehearsal or study to get anywhere close to this level. 108 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:09,920 However, once we acquire information this way, the benefit is that it's a lot harder 109 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,440 to unlearn or forget. 110 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,680 When we study, we want information to enter this realm, but we'll usually settle for the 111 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,720 next type of memory retrieval. 112 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:27,920 Recognition is when you can conjure up your memory in the presence of an external cue. 113 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,800 It's when you might not be able to remember something by pure recall, but if you get a 114 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,600 small clue or reminder, you'll remember it. 115 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,760 For example, you might not be able to recall all the capitals of the world, but if you got 116 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:44,960 a clue, such as the first letter of the capital or something that rhymes with it, it would 117 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,880 be fairly easy to state it. 118 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:53,260 This jogs your memory enough that you can carry on once you get started. 119 00:08:53,260 --> 00:08:59,840 When we cram information, recognition is typically what we end up with. 120 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,320 This is also how mnemonics and similar memory devices work. 121 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:09,080 We know we aren't able to definitively store and recall so many pieces of information without 122 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:15,040 a massive amount of rehearsal, so we work on chunking information into recognizable 123 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:16,560 cues. 124 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:21,200 With the right cue, we're pointed in the right direction and can gradually access memories 125 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,500 stored a little less concretely. 126 00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:28,840 Rewearning is undoubtedly the weakest form of recall. 127 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:34,760 It occurs when you're relearning or reviewing information and it takes you less effort each 128 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:37,200 consecutive time. 129 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,560 For example, if you read a list of country capitals on Monday and it takes you 30 minutes, 130 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:46,720 it should take you 15 minutes the next day and so on. 131 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:51,440 Unfortunately, this is where we mostly lie on a daily basis. 132 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,400 We might be familiar with a concept, but we haven't committed enough of it to memory 133 00:09:56,400 --> 00:10:02,760 to avoid essentially relearning it when we look at it again. 134 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:08,680 This is what happens when we're new to a topic or we've forgotten most of it already. 135 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:13,960 When you're in the relearning stage, you essentially haven't taken anything past the 136 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,000 barrier of short-term memory into long-term memory. 137 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:23,280 From your brain's perspective, this kind of information is simply not important, relevant, 138 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,840 or repeated enough to warrant more space in your memory. 139 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,680 The forgetting curve. 140 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:36,440 Not only are we fighting weak encoding or storage in our quest for learning, we're 141 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:42,160 also fighting the brain's natural tendency to forget as soon as possible. 142 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:47,600 This is encapsulated by the forgetting curve, a concept pioneered by psychologist Hermann 143 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:49,540 Ebbinghaus. 144 00:10:49,540 --> 00:10:54,600 The forgetting curve shows the rate of memory decay and forgetting over time if there's 145 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:59,440 no attempt to move information into long-term memory. 146 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:04,120 If you read something about the French Revolution on Monday, then you'll typically remember 147 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:10,800 only half of it after four days and retain as little as 30% at around a week's time. 148 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,480 If you don't review what you've learned, it's very likely you'll only retain 10% of 149 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,200 what you learned about the French Revolution. 150 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:24,480 However, if you review and rehearse it, you'll retain and memorize more over time. 151 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:30,040 You'll bump the retention level back up to 100%, and then the graph will start to become 152 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:33,400 shallower, indicating less decay. 153 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,840 It says though you're teaching your brain, this is important, I keep needing to know 154 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,520 this, so remember it. 155 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,520 The goal is to make the forgetting curve shallower. 156 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:48,280 To make it resemble a horizontal line as much as possible, that would indicate very little 157 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:54,080 decay, and doing that requires constant review and rehearsal. 158 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,960 Ebbinghaus found patterns for memory loss and isolated two simple factors that affected 159 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:00,600 the forgetting curve. 160 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:07,000 First, the rate of decay was significantly blunted if the memory was strong and powerful 161 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,400 and had personal significance to the person. 162 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:16,560 Second, the amount of time and how old the memory was determined how quickly and severely 163 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:18,760 it decayed. 164 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:23,360 This suggests there's little we can do about forgetting other than to come up with tactics 165 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,960 to assign personal significance to information and rehearse more often. 166 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:33,560 As you can see, forgetting isn't as simple as having something on the tip of your tongue 167 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:36,240 or rummaging through the stores of your brain. 168 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:41,280 There are very specific processes that make it a near miracle we actually retain as much 169 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,240 as we do. 170 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:48,480 You've probably also noticed that improving your memory is as much about good encoding 171 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:53,560 and attention as it is proper rehearsing and recall. 172 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:57,800 Being able to recall information is always the goal, but more realistically, we should 173 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:03,440 be shooting for recognition and to learn how to expertly use cues and hints in our daily 174 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:04,440 lives. 175 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,640 I may not be able to recite the lyrics of my favorite songs, but I can sure remember 176 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,040 them if I hear the melody. 177 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:17,800 If I become expert in managing cues for myself, I can work around the unavoidable limits of 178 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,800 my memory. 179 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,280 The Study Cycle 180 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:28,440 Another way to work with the brain and the inbuilt mechanisms of memory is to use what's 181 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,680 called the study cycle. 182 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:35,520 Rather than one technique, this approach is about using a series of different techniques 183 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:40,600 in a particular order for a particular duration to maximize learning. 184 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:46,000 In fact, the principles behind the study cycle could explain why tactics such as retrieval 185 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,680 practice and spaced repetition work so well. 186 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:55,280 The cycle consists of five sequential steps to follow. 187 00:13:55,280 --> 00:14:00,400 This will help you cement new material and, as you do so, you'll build a deeper sense 188 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:05,200 of confidence in yourself as you gain knowledge and build on each new development. 189 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:10,000 The cycle is also great for keeping yourself organized and motivated. 190 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:17,480 Often, when we sit down to simply study, the intention is so vague that we only waste time 191 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:21,080 and miss out on an opportunity to really learn well. 192 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:26,640 But with a structured, flowing study cycle, we know where we stand, and we can apply the 193 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,600 steps to any coursework we like. 194 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:38,760 The steps are Preview, Attend, Review, Study, and Assess, and then the cycle is repeated. 195 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,200 The first step is to Preview. 196 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:46,720 Don't just dive in, rather, begin by trying to get a broad overview of what you're doing, 197 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,480 in what context, and why. 198 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,360 See the big picture. 199 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:55,480 What this looks like will depend on you and the subject you're studying. 200 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,160 For example, if you're reading through an important chapter in a textbook, you might 201 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:05,160 need to start with some skimming, i.e., read through the main headings and subheadings, 202 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:11,360 scan any pictures and diagrams with their titles, look at any summaries at the end, 203 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:15,960 data such as graphs or tables, and bolded sections or pull quotes that might have been 204 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:17,960 highlighted as important. 205 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,840 This way, you can prime and cue your learning. 206 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,080 If your studies are taking a less traditional form, you might still like to begin by going 207 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,480 through the material quickly to get an overview. 208 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:34,840 Look through a piece of music quickly and note the time signature, the tempo, the key, 209 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,400 and get an idea of the melody. 210 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:42,040 If you're going through some academic journal articles, go through the abstracts first and 211 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:47,940 broadly see what the research question, methodology, and conclusions were in each before reading 212 00:15:47,940 --> 00:15:50,300 in detail. 213 00:15:50,300 --> 00:15:54,460 The next step is to attend, i.e., pay attention. 214 00:15:54,460 --> 00:16:00,740 Crucially, the preview section helps you direct where your attention goes, that is, onto the 215 00:16:00,740 --> 00:16:05,980 most important concepts, but in the second step, you need to apply that attention fully. 216 00:16:05,980 --> 00:16:11,260 Here, you want to be as focused and aware as possible. 217 00:16:11,260 --> 00:16:17,020 Don't just sit in a lecture passively or watch a tutorial video without taking notes. 218 00:16:17,180 --> 00:16:22,980 This means you engage with the data coming in. 219 00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:30,500 Make notes, ask questions, who, what, where, when, why, how, and have a dialogue with the 220 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:32,740 material. 221 00:16:32,740 --> 00:16:37,420 Jot questions and book margins and find out how to answer them. 222 00:16:37,420 --> 00:16:42,460 Make summaries or simplified diagrams and use as many of your senses as possible when 223 00:16:42,460 --> 00:16:45,620 you encode this new information. 224 00:16:45,660 --> 00:16:50,700 When you generate your own study aids and explain the concepts to yourself, you'll comprehend 225 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:53,700 better and retain more. 226 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:56,220 For step three, we review. 227 00:16:56,220 --> 00:17:01,100 Just as we previewed, now we look again and see what ground we've covered and what material 228 00:17:01,100 --> 00:17:03,340 has been absorbed. 229 00:17:03,340 --> 00:17:07,660 Just the act of revisiting what you've taken in reinforces it further. 230 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:11,260 At the end of your study session, stop and take stock. 231 00:17:11,260 --> 00:17:15,700 Look again through your notes and summaries, and perhaps even answer some questions you 232 00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:18,180 had at the beginning of the session. 233 00:17:18,180 --> 00:17:22,580 You are, in essence, skimming again, but this time, instead of seeing the big picture of 234 00:17:22,580 --> 00:17:28,060 what you're going to learn, you do a quick survey of what you have learned. 235 00:17:28,060 --> 00:17:32,740 Drill a few new concepts, revisit the main themes, and just take a moment to let everything 236 00:17:32,740 --> 00:17:35,100 sink in. 237 00:17:35,100 --> 00:17:39,420 If you practice retrieval immediately after learning some new data, you're teaching your 238 00:17:39,460 --> 00:17:45,460 brain not only to file away important information, but to cement a path via which you can search 239 00:17:45,460 --> 00:17:48,460 for and recall that data later on. 240 00:17:50,060 --> 00:17:51,980 Step four is to study. 241 00:17:51,980 --> 00:17:53,420 The material is there. 242 00:17:53,420 --> 00:17:57,740 Now you need to make sure it's taking root in your brain permanently. 243 00:17:57,740 --> 00:17:59,340 The key to this? 244 00:17:59,340 --> 00:18:01,340 Repetition. 245 00:18:01,340 --> 00:18:08,340 For around 30 to 50 minutes, go over concepts, definitions, problems, or ideas, reinforcing 246 00:18:08,380 --> 00:18:10,100 your understanding. 247 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:14,340 Pay attention to those parts that are most difficult for you, but remember to keep seeing 248 00:18:14,340 --> 00:18:17,460 each unit in relation to the whole. 249 00:18:17,460 --> 00:18:22,740 Here you can draw on all the previous steps to sit with the material and encode it into 250 00:18:22,740 --> 00:18:25,540 your brain. 251 00:18:25,540 --> 00:18:27,740 The last step is to assess. 252 00:18:27,740 --> 00:18:31,300 Here you want to check how well the process is going. 253 00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:35,940 Check how much you've retained, but also ask yourself how well your study techniques are 254 00:18:35,940 --> 00:18:37,820 working. 255 00:18:37,820 --> 00:18:43,540 Try some tests or worked problems and appraise your performance in memory. 256 00:18:43,540 --> 00:18:46,900 Based on the outcome, adjust your approach time. 257 00:18:46,900 --> 00:18:50,300 You'll know you've probably absorbed the material when you're ready to confidently 258 00:18:50,300 --> 00:18:55,980 teach the concepts to another person and feel that you comprehend enough to reproduce it 259 00:18:55,980 --> 00:18:58,500 or score well on a test. 260 00:18:58,500 --> 00:19:02,940 On the other hand, you might do well with the material, but wish to change the study 261 00:19:02,940 --> 00:19:03,940 approach. 262 00:19:03,940 --> 00:19:09,140 For example, spending more or less time on different steps or using a different active 263 00:19:09,140 --> 00:19:11,420 reading technique. 264 00:19:11,420 --> 00:19:17,580 When you're done, you start again with step one. 265 00:19:17,580 --> 00:19:19,740 Retrieval practice. 266 00:19:19,740 --> 00:19:25,020 So how can we use this knowledge about our memories to be more effective learners? 267 00:19:25,020 --> 00:19:31,820 There's one major technique that applies the fickle nature of memory, retrieval practice. 268 00:19:31,820 --> 00:19:37,740 We typically consider learning something we absorb, something that goes into our brains. 269 00:19:37,740 --> 00:19:44,420 The teacher or textbook spits facts, data, equations, and words out at us, and we just 270 00:19:44,420 --> 00:19:46,380 sit there and collect them. 271 00:19:46,380 --> 00:19:50,820 It's merely accumulation, a very passive act. 272 00:19:50,820 --> 00:19:54,940 This kind of relationship with learning returns knowledge that we don't retain for very long 273 00:19:54,940 --> 00:19:59,380 because even though we get it, we don't do much with it. 274 00:19:59,380 --> 00:20:04,020 For best results, we have to make learning an active operation. 275 00:20:04,020 --> 00:20:07,340 That's where retrieval practice comes into play. 276 00:20:07,340 --> 00:20:12,220 Instead of putting more stuff in our brains, retrieval practice helps us take knowledge 277 00:20:12,220 --> 00:20:15,260 out of our brains and put it to use. 278 00:20:15,260 --> 00:20:21,460 That seemingly small change in thinking dramatically improves our chances of retaining and remembering 279 00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:23,940 what we learn. 280 00:20:23,940 --> 00:20:26,900 Everyone remembers flashcards from childhood days. 281 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:32,460 The front of the cards had math equations, words, science terms, or images, and the 282 00:20:32,460 --> 00:20:39,140 backs had the answer, the solution, definition, explanation, or whatever response the student 283 00:20:39,140 --> 00:20:41,420 is expected to give. 284 00:20:41,420 --> 00:20:46,700 The idea of flashcards sprouts from a strategy called retrieval practice. 285 00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:50,180 This approach is neither new nor very complicated. 286 00:20:50,180 --> 00:20:55,500 It's simply recalling information you've already learned, the back of the flashcard, when prompted 287 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:59,620 by a certain image or depiction, the front. 288 00:20:59,620 --> 00:21:04,660 Retrieval practice is one of the best ways to increase your memory and fact retention. 289 00:21:04,660 --> 00:21:09,580 But even though its core is quite simple, actually using retrieval practice isn't quite 290 00:21:09,580 --> 00:21:15,300 as straightforward as just passively drilling with flashcards or scanning over notes we've 291 00:21:15,300 --> 00:21:16,300 taken. 292 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:22,420 Rather, retrieval practice is an active skill, truly struggling, thinking, and processing 293 00:21:22,420 --> 00:21:27,300 to finally get to the point of recalling that information without clues. 294 00:21:27,300 --> 00:21:32,420 Much of what we've discussed already in this book, that accelerates learning. 295 00:21:32,420 --> 00:21:36,660 Puja Agarwal researched pupils taking middle school social studies over the course of a 296 00:21:36,660 --> 00:21:40,220 year and a half, ending in 2011. 297 00:21:40,220 --> 00:21:46,220 The study aimed to determine how regularly scheduled uncounted quizzes, basically retrieval 298 00:21:46,220 --> 00:21:50,980 practice exercises, benefited the ability to learn and retain. 299 00:21:50,980 --> 00:21:56,140 The class teacher didn't alter their study plan and simply instructed as normal. 300 00:21:56,140 --> 00:22:01,500 The students were given regular quizzes, developed by the research team, on class material with 301 00:22:01,500 --> 00:22:06,140 the understanding that the results would not count against their grades. 302 00:22:06,140 --> 00:22:10,540 These quizzes only included about a third of the material covered by the teacher, who 303 00:22:10,540 --> 00:22:15,060 also had to leave the room while the quiz was being taken. 304 00:22:15,060 --> 00:22:19,780 This was so the teacher had no knowledge of what subjects the quiz is covered. 305 00:22:19,780 --> 00:22:24,300 In class, the teacher taught and reviewed the class as usual, without knowing which 306 00:22:24,300 --> 00:22:28,660 parts of the instruction were being asked on the quizzes. 307 00:22:28,660 --> 00:22:35,500 The results of this study were measured during end of unit exams, and were quite dramatic. 308 00:22:35,500 --> 00:22:40,340 Students scored one full grade level higher on the material the quiz is covered, the one 309 00:22:40,340 --> 00:22:47,260 third of what the whole class covered, than the questions not asked on the no-stakes quizzes. 310 00:22:47,260 --> 00:22:51,660 The mere act of being occasionally tested, with no pressure to get all the answers right 311 00:22:51,660 --> 00:22:56,420 to boost their overall grades, actually helped students learn better. 312 00:22:56,420 --> 00:23:02,460 Agarwal's study also provided insight on what kind of questions helped the most. 313 00:23:02,460 --> 00:23:06,780 Questions that required the student to actually recall the information from scratch yielded 314 00:23:06,780 --> 00:23:12,220 more success than multiple choice questions, in which the answer could be recognized from 315 00:23:12,220 --> 00:23:16,020 a list or true-false questions. 316 00:23:16,020 --> 00:23:22,260 The active mental effort to remember the answer, with no verbal or visual prompt, improved 317 00:23:22,260 --> 00:23:26,860 the student's learning and retention. 318 00:23:26,860 --> 00:23:31,140 Using retrieval practice in our lives 319 00:23:31,140 --> 00:23:35,820 The principal benefit of retrieval practice is that it encourages an active exertion of 320 00:23:35,820 --> 00:23:41,260 effort, rather than the passive seepage of external information. 321 00:23:41,260 --> 00:23:45,780 When we learn something once and then actually do something else to reinforce our learning, 322 00:23:45,780 --> 00:23:51,620 it has more of an effect than merely reviewing notes or rereading passages in books. 323 00:23:51,620 --> 00:23:56,820 The knowledge that we store in our memory is activated when it's called out. 324 00:23:56,820 --> 00:24:01,380 Retrieval practice stimulates that movement and makes it easier to learn and retain new 325 00:24:01,380 --> 00:24:03,500 understandings. 326 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:08,060 If we pull concepts out of our brain, it's more effective than just continually trying 327 00:24:08,060 --> 00:24:10,100 to put concepts in. 328 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:15,100 The learning comes from taking what's been added to our knowledge and bringing it out 329 00:24:15,100 --> 00:24:17,660 at a later time. 330 00:24:17,660 --> 00:24:22,180 We mentioned flashcards at the top of this section and how they're an offshoot of retrieval 331 00:24:22,180 --> 00:24:23,560 practice. 332 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:27,500 But flashcards are not in and of themselves the strategy. 333 00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:33,860 You can use them and still not be conducting true retrieval practice. 334 00:24:33,860 --> 00:24:37,440 Many students use flashcards somewhat inactively. 335 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:42,380 They see the prompt, answer it in their heads, tell themselves they know it, flip over to 336 00:24:42,380 --> 00:24:45,660 see the answer and then move on to the next one. 337 00:24:45,660 --> 00:24:50,380 Turning this into practice, however, would be taking a few seconds to actually recall 338 00:24:50,380 --> 00:24:56,180 the answer and at best say the answer out loud before flipping the card over. 339 00:24:56,180 --> 00:25:01,140 The difference seems slight and subtle, but it's important. 340 00:25:01,140 --> 00:25:06,380 Students will get more advantages from flashcards by actually retrieving and vocalizing the 341 00:25:06,380 --> 00:25:09,140 answer before moving on. 342 00:25:09,140 --> 00:25:15,060 In real-world situations, where there's usually not an outside teacher, pre-made flashcards 343 00:25:15,060 --> 00:25:21,100 or other assistants, how can we repurpose what we learn for retrieval practice? 344 00:25:21,100 --> 00:25:26,540 One good way is to expand flashcards and make them more interactive. 345 00:25:26,540 --> 00:25:32,660 The flashcards in our grade school experiences, for the most part, were very one note. 346 00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:37,540 You can adapt the methodology of flashcards for more complex real-world applications or 347 00:25:37,540 --> 00:25:42,540 self-learning by taking a new approach to what's on the back of the cards, as suggested 348 00:25:42,540 --> 00:25:46,100 by writer Rachel Andranja. 349 00:25:46,100 --> 00:25:50,620 When you're studying material for work or class, make flashcards with concepts on the 350 00:25:50,620 --> 00:25:53,900 front and definitions on the back. 351 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:58,700 After completing this task, make another set of cards that give instructions on how to 352 00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:03,980 reprocess the concept for a creative or real-life situation. 353 00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:06,460 Here's an example. 354 00:26:06,460 --> 00:26:09,700 Write this concept in plain English. 355 00:26:09,700 --> 00:26:14,340 Write a movie or novel plot that demonstrates this concept. 356 00:26:14,340 --> 00:26:18,860 Use this concept to describe a real-life event. 357 00:26:18,860 --> 00:26:22,100 Describe the opposite of this concept. 358 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:25,340 Draw a picture of this concept. 359 00:26:25,340 --> 00:26:31,300 The possibilities are, as they say, limitless in how you can seek retrieval. 360 00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:37,740 Studying these exercises extracts more information about the concept that you produce yourself. 361 00:26:37,740 --> 00:26:42,980 Placing them in the context of a creative narrative or expression will help you understand 362 00:26:42,980 --> 00:26:45,760 them when they come up in real life. 363 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,260 Our memories are fickle, and they like to play tricks on us by design, but they can 364 00:26:50,260 --> 00:26:56,900 be molded to our advantage in learning more quickly. 365 00:26:56,900 --> 00:26:59,640 Spaced repetition. 366 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:04,540 This method is directly aimed at dealing with beating forgetting. 367 00:27:04,540 --> 00:27:10,820 Spaced repetition, otherwise known as distributed practice, is just what it sounds like. 368 00:27:10,820 --> 00:27:15,220 The reason it's such an important technique in improving your memory is that it battles 369 00:27:15,220 --> 00:27:21,300 forgetting directly and allows you to work within the bounds of your brain's capabilities. 370 00:27:21,300 --> 00:27:27,100 Other techniques, no less important, are about increasing encoding or storage. 371 00:27:27,100 --> 00:27:32,520 Over the three parts of memory are encoding, storage, and retrieval. 372 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,880 Spaced repetition helps the last part, retrieval. 373 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:41,960 In order to commit more to memory and retain information better, space out your rehearsal 374 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:46,720 and exposure to it over as long of a period as possible. 375 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,880 In other words, you'll remember something far better if you study it for one hour a 376 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,880 day versus 20 hours in one weekend. 377 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:59,860 This goes for just about everything you could possibly learn. 378 00:27:59,860 --> 00:28:04,620 Additional research has shown that seeing something 20 times in one day is far less 379 00:28:04,620 --> 00:28:10,420 effective than seeing something 10 times over the course of 7 days. 380 00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:14,820 Spaced repetition makes more sense if you imagine your brain as a muscle. 381 00:28:14,820 --> 00:28:20,340 Muscles can't be exercised all the time and then put back to work with little to no recovery. 382 00:28:20,340 --> 00:28:26,440 Your brain needs time to make connections between concepts, create muscle memory, and 383 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,320 generally become familiar with something. 384 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:36,240 Sleep has been shown to be where neural connections are made, and it's not just mental, synaptic 385 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:41,080 connections are formed in your brain, and dendrites are stimulated. 386 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:46,160 If an athlete works out too hard in one session, like you might be tempted to do in studying, 387 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:47,900 one of two things will happen. 388 00:28:47,900 --> 00:28:53,020 The athlete will either be too exhausted and the latter half of the workout will be useless, 389 00:28:53,020 --> 00:28:56,060 or the athlete will become injured. 390 00:28:56,060 --> 00:29:01,700 Rest and recovery are necessary to the task of learning, and sometimes effort isn't what's 391 00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:03,700 required. 392 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:09,620 Here's a look at what a schedule focused on spaced repetition might look like. 393 00:29:09,620 --> 00:29:12,020 Monday at 10am. 394 00:29:12,020 --> 00:29:14,860 Learn initial facts about Spanish history. 395 00:29:14,860 --> 00:29:18,760 You accumulate five pages of notes. 396 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,880 Monday at 8pm. 397 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:25,600 Review notes about Spanish history, but don't just review passively. 398 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:30,240 Make sure to try to recall the information from your own memory. 399 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:35,440 Recalling is a much better way to process information than simply re-reading and reviewing. 400 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:38,800 This might only take 20 minutes. 401 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,000 Tuesday at 10am. 402 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,800 Try to recall the information without looking at your notes much. 403 00:29:44,820 --> 00:29:49,140 Once you first try to actively recall as much as possible, go back through your notes to 404 00:29:49,140 --> 00:29:54,300 see what you missed, and make note of what you need to pay closer attention to. 405 00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:58,300 This will probably take only 15 minutes. 406 00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:00,860 Tuesday at 8pm. 407 00:30:00,860 --> 00:30:01,860 Review notes. 408 00:30:01,860 --> 00:30:04,300 This will take 10 minutes. 409 00:30:04,300 --> 00:30:06,460 Wednesday at 4pm. 410 00:30:06,460 --> 00:30:10,860 Try to independently recall the information again, and only look at your notes once you're 411 00:30:10,860 --> 00:30:13,620 done to see what else you've missed. 412 00:30:13,620 --> 00:30:15,160 This will take only 10 minutes. 413 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:19,000 Make sure not to skip any steps. 414 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,160 Thursday at 6pm. 415 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:22,360 Review notes. 416 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,640 This will take 10 minutes. 417 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,000 Friday at 10am. 418 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,760 Active recall session. 419 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,800 This will take 10 minutes. 420 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:36,760 Looking at this schedule, note that you're only studying an additional 75 minutes throughout 421 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:42,360 the week, but that you've managed to go through the entire lesson of whopping six additional 422 00:30:42,380 --> 00:30:43,880 times. 423 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:48,620 Not only that, you've likely committed most of it to memory because you're using active 424 00:30:48,620 --> 00:30:52,460 recall instead of passively reviewing your notes. 425 00:30:52,460 --> 00:30:54,620 You're ready for a test the next Monday. 426 00:30:54,620 --> 00:30:59,220 Actually, you're ready for a test by Friday afternoon. 427 00:30:59,220 --> 00:31:04,340 Spaced repetition gives your brain time to process concepts and make its own connections 428 00:31:04,340 --> 00:31:07,940 and leaps because of the repetition. 429 00:31:07,940 --> 00:31:12,720 Think about what happens when you have repeated exposure to a concept. 430 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,720 For the first couple of exposures, you may not see anything new. 431 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:21,000 As you get more familiar with it and stop going through the motions, you begin to examine 432 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:25,680 it on a deeper level and think about the context surrounding it. 433 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:30,840 You relate it to other concepts or information, and you generally make sense of it below surface 434 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:32,400 level. 435 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:37,080 All of this, of course, is designed to push information from your short-term memory into 436 00:31:37,140 --> 00:31:38,980 your long-term memory. 437 00:31:38,980 --> 00:31:44,740 That's why cramming or studying at the last minute isn't an effective means of learning. 438 00:31:44,740 --> 00:31:49,060 Very little tends to make it into long-term memory because of the lack of repetition and 439 00:31:49,060 --> 00:31:50,820 deeper analysis. 440 00:31:50,820 --> 00:31:56,320 At that point, it becomes rote memorization instead of the concept learning we discussed 441 00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:01,220 earlier, which is destined to fade far more quickly. 442 00:32:01,220 --> 00:32:05,520 When you set out to learn something, instead of measuring the number of hours you spend 443 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:10,960 on something, try instead to measure the number of times you revisit the same information 444 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,500 after the initial learning. 445 00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:18,880 Make it your goal to increase the frequency of reviewing, not necessarily the duration. 446 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:25,160 Both matter, but the literature on spaced repetition or distributed practice makes clear that breathing 447 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:28,400 room is necessary. 448 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,160 It's true that this type of optimal learning takes up more time in planning than most of 449 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:33,400 us are used to. 450 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:39,240 However, if you find yourself short on time, you can still use it strategically. 451 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:45,160 To cram for a test, exam, or other type of evaluation, we don't need material to make 452 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:46,840 it to our long-term memory. 453 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:51,960 We just needed to make it slightly past our working memory and be partially encoded into 454 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:53,960 our long-term memory. 455 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:57,920 We don't need to be able to recall anything the day after, so it's like we only need 456 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:00,800 something to stick for a few hours. 457 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:05,680 You might not be able to do true spaced repetition if you're cramming at the last minute, but 458 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:09,440 you can simulate it in a small way. 459 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:15,920 Instead of studying subject X for three hours only at night, seek to study it one hour each, 460 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:21,120 three times a day, with a few hours between each exposure. 461 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:25,960 Recall that memories need time to be encoded and stick in the brain. 462 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:31,960 You're doing the best imitation of spaced repetition you can with what you have available. 463 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:36,640 To get the most out of your limited studying time, study something, for example, as soon 464 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:42,600 as you wake up, and then review it at noon, 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. 465 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:48,120 The point is to review throughout the day and get as much repetition as possible. 466 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:52,880 Remember to focus on frequency rather than duration. 467 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,800 During the course of your repetition, make sure to study your notes out of order to see 468 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:01,200 them in different contexts and encode more effectively. 469 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,680 Also use active recall versus passive reading. 470 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:10,640 Don't be afraid to even interspersed unrelated material to reap the benefits of interleaved 471 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:12,580 practice. 472 00:34:12,580 --> 00:34:16,880 Make sure to focus on the underlying concepts that govern the information you're learning 473 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:22,140 so you can make educated guesses about what you don't remember. 474 00:34:22,140 --> 00:34:26,200 Make sure that you're reciting and rehearsing new information up to the last minute before 475 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:27,800 your test. 476 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:32,900 Your short-term memory can hold 7 items on its best day, so you might just save yourself 477 00:34:32,900 --> 00:34:38,020 with a piece of information that was never going to fit in your long-term memory. 478 00:34:38,020 --> 00:34:39,380 It's like you're juggling. 479 00:34:39,380 --> 00:34:45,060 It's inevitable that you'll drop everything, but it could just so happen that you're juggling 480 00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:47,460 something you can use. 481 00:34:47,460 --> 00:34:51,780 Make use of all types of memory so you can conscious. 482 00:34:51,780 --> 00:34:57,020 Make use of all types of memory you can consciously employ. 483 00:34:57,020 --> 00:35:01,900 Spaced repetition, as you can see, approaches learning from a different perspective. 484 00:35:01,900 --> 00:35:08,460 In practicing retrieval and shooting for frequency as opposed to duration to improve memory. 485 00:35:08,460 --> 00:35:12,580 Even in situations where you don't have as much time as you'd like, you can use spaced 486 00:35:12,580 --> 00:35:18,980 repetition to cram for tests and overall just get more information into your brain. 487 00:35:18,980 --> 00:35:23,780 And by focusing on frequency and not duration. 488 00:35:23,780 --> 00:35:28,940 When you spread out your learning and memorizing over a longer period of time and revisit the 489 00:35:28,940 --> 00:35:34,300 same material frequently, you'll be better off. 490 00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:39,180 Takeaways Learning relies on memory, and memory is in 491 00:35:39,180 --> 00:35:45,460 turn an interplay between two processes, storing and retrieving information. 492 00:35:45,460 --> 00:35:51,220 There are three main steps, encoding, storing, and retrieval. 493 00:35:51,220 --> 00:35:56,860 How well we encode material, i.e. cement it into our minds, depends on the degree and 494 00:35:56,860 --> 00:36:01,780 intensity of attention we pay it, as well as the senses through which we encounter it 495 00:36:01,780 --> 00:36:04,860 and our associated emotions. 496 00:36:04,860 --> 00:36:10,980 When we store memories, we do so either as transient sensory memory, short-term memory, 497 00:36:10,980 --> 00:36:14,100 or more long-term memory. 498 00:36:14,100 --> 00:36:18,300 Preferable is when we return to stored memories and pull them out again, either with a cue 499 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:21,660 or helpful sequence, or without one. 500 00:36:21,660 --> 00:36:28,100 We can retrieve information in a few ways, recall it directly, no cues, this is obviously 501 00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:34,460 preferable, recognition, remembering something after a cue or prompt, and relearning, which 502 00:36:34,460 --> 00:36:39,300 is the least effective and lasting method. 503 00:36:39,300 --> 00:36:44,220 Learning is a normal state of affairs, and occurs on a forgetting curve. 504 00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:49,300 Every time we rehearse, however, we refresh this memory, and the subsequent forgetting 505 00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:52,820 trails off at a less steep curve. 506 00:36:52,820 --> 00:36:58,580 The goal is to rehearse until the curve eventually flattens, and the rate of decay slows enough 507 00:36:58,580 --> 00:37:03,420 for you to say, I've permanently learnt this. 508 00:37:03,420 --> 00:37:08,420 The study cycle is a process to follow to maximize your learning process given the way 509 00:37:08,420 --> 00:37:10,060 memory works. 510 00:37:10,060 --> 00:37:18,620 The steps are preview, attend, review, study, and assess, and then begin the cycle again. 511 00:37:18,620 --> 00:37:24,860 In a study session, it's best to flow through each step consciously, establishing context, 512 00:37:24,860 --> 00:37:30,540 paying attention, actively reading and engaging, drilling the material, and then taking time 513 00:37:30,540 --> 00:37:36,100 to assess how well the process went afterwards. 514 00:37:36,100 --> 00:37:41,980 Retrieval practice is the art of practicing what most cements memories, retrieving them. 515 00:37:41,980 --> 00:37:47,460 It's an active process, and instills memory firmly. 516 00:37:47,460 --> 00:37:53,100 Space repetition is most effective for practicing retrieval and countering forgetting. 517 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:57,400 Deliberate practice too can help you control what you're practicing, and how this can 518 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,900 enhance your learning and knowledge over time. 519 00:38:06,100 --> 00:38:13,300 Thanks for joining us on another episode of The Science of Self. 520 00:38:13,300 --> 00:38:17,940 If you enjoyed this episode, consider sharing it with a friend who might also benefit from 521 00:38:17,940 --> 00:38:19,420 these insights. 522 00:38:19,420 --> 00:38:25,700 Remember, improving yourself is a journey, and we're here with you every step of the 523 00:38:25,700 --> 00:38:27,100 way. 524 00:38:27,100 --> 00:38:31,540 For more resources on how to improve yourself from the inside out, visit the author's 525 00:38:31,540 --> 00:38:38,940 website at bit.ly-PeterHollins, and don't forget to subscribe to the show so you never 526 00:38:38,940 --> 00:38:39,940 miss an episode. 527 00:38:39,940 --> 00:38:41,380 We'll see you next time.