Retrieve information in different ways

How can we learn effectively? It is important to retrieve what we learn from memory at certain intervals, but that is not all. For even better results, it’s best to do it in different ways, scientists say in an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Human memory is complex and depends on many factors. This is why the results of individual scientific studies are not always easy to translate into practical advice for effective learning. However, previous studies suggest that learning is more effective when material is retrieved from memory rather than simply reread, and when learning sessions are spread out over time – and not, for example, accumulated over an evening before an exam.

Is it possible to learn even more effectively?

Ewa Butowska-Buczyńska from the Faculty of Psychology at SWPS University in Warsaw, Maciej Hanczakowski and Katarzyna Zawadzka from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and USWPS graduate Paulina Kliś decided to find out whether the process of memorization could be more supported.

It turns out it’s possible. This requires what is called variable learning, which involves introducing variety into the way we memorize. It means learning about a given phenomenon from different angles, in different contexts and in several ways. Furthermore, the retrieval process must also be varied, that is, it must take place in response to different (and not identical) cues leading to the correct response.

In the article titled “The role of variable retrieval in effective learning,” the authors describe a series of experiments in which they asked participants to learn foreign (Finnish) words. The words were embedded in sentences presented in the participants’ native language, for example “Daddy sweeps the lattia” (Finnish: floor).

During the study, each foreign word was presented multiple times, either in the same sentence (“Dad sweeps the lattia” provided five times) or in different sentences (e.g., “Daddy sweeps the lattia,” A dog is lying on the trellis”, “A child is playing on the trellis”, “There is a rug on the trellis”, “A cat is sliding on the trellis.”).

Better memory performance for translations of foreign words was obtained when, during learning, participants were presented with different sentences again and again rather than the same one. The benefits of this method of acquiring knowledge were observed both immediately after the study phase and after 24 hours.

Interestingly, the participants were convinced that it was easier for them to memorize foreign words when they always learned them using the same sentences, which did not correspond to their actual test results. This is called a metacognitive illusion – a false belief in the effectiveness of certain learning conditions, which can ultimately lead to choosing less effective learning methods.

Memory welcomes a challenge

The idea of ​​learning different facets of information during each learning session is not new; it is considered crucial for long-term memory. This can be compared to creating multiple paths to store information, which can then be used to retrieve the information from memory. The more we create such paths during our learning, the greater our chances of effectively retrieving the information we are looking for, when, for example, during an exam we are asked a question that only matches the one of the possible paths.

“Such a diverse way of learning, where we are not limited to just one aspect of the information to be learned, poses a challenge to our memory. It therefore requires more effort than constant, repetitive learning, but this effort helps in the acquisition of knowledge Therefore, we can say that some difficulty in the learning process is desirable.

“If we want our knowledge to be useful, that is, accessible in different circumstances and in response to different clues or test questions, we must enrich our study sessions with the following difficulties: retrieving information previously learned (instead of reading them multiple times), spreading the learning over a period of time (instead of accumulating it in a single learning session), and retrieving information from memory in different ways (not in response to the same signal)”, explains Butowska-Buczyńska, co-author of the study.

The authors of the article suggest that the results of their research can be used to develop guidelines for effective learning. They emphasize, however, that the research carried out so far is limited to specific experimental conditions and that additional work is needed to promote this learning method on a larger scale.

Provided by SWPS University