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Forgetting curve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Forgetting curve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The forgetting curve hypothesises the decline of memory retention in time.

This curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt
to retain it.[1] A related concept is the strength of memory that refers to
the durability that memory traces in the brain. The stronger the memory, the
longer period of time that a person is able to recall it. A typical graph of the
forgetting curve purports to show that humans tend to halve their memory of
newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they
consciously review the learned material.
The forgetting curve supports one of the seven kinds of memory failures:
transience, which is the process of forgetting that occurs with the passage of
time.[2]

A typical representation of the

forgetting curve.

Contents
1 History
2 Description
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References

History
In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus extrapolated the hypothesis of the exponential nature of forgetting. The following
formula can roughly describe it:

where

is memory retention,

is the relative strength of memory, and is time.

Hermann Ebbinghaus ran a limited, incomplete study on himself and published his hypothesis in 1885 as ber das
Gedchtnis (later translated into English as Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology). Ebbinghaus
studied the memorisation of nonsense syllables, such as "WID" and "ZOF" by repeatedly testing himself after
various time periods and recording the results. He plotted these results on a graph creating what is now known as
the "forgetting curve". From his discovery regarding the "forgetting curve", Ebbinghaus came up with the effects of
"overlearning". Essentially,if you practiced something more than what is usually necessary to memorize it, you would
have effectively achieved overlearning. Overlearning ensures that information is more impervious to being lost or
forgotten, and the forgetting curve for this overlearned material is shallower.[3]
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Description
Ebbinghaus hypothesized that the speed of forgetting depends on a number of factors such as the difficulty of the
learned material (e.g. how meaningful it is), its representation and physiological factors such as stress and sleep. He
further hypothesized that the basal forgetting rate differs little between individuals. He concluded that the difference
in performance (e.g. at school) can be explained by mnemonic representation skills.
He went on to hypothesize that basic training in mnemonic techniques can help overcome those differences in part.
He asserted that the best methods for increasing the strength of memory are:
1. better memory representation (e.g. with mnemonic techniques)
2. repetition based on active recall (esp. spaced repetition).
His premise was that each repetition in learning increases the optimum interval before the next repetition is needed
(for near-perfect retention, initial repetitions may need to be made within days, but later they can be made after
years). Later research suggested that, other than the two factors Ebbinghaus proposed, higher original learning
would also produce slower forgetting.[4]
Spending time each day to remember information, such as that for exams, will greatly decrease the effects of the
forgetting curve. Reviewing material in the first 24 hours after learning information is the optimum time to re-read
notes and reduce the amount of knowledge forgotten. [5]
Some memories remain free from the detrimental effects of interference and dont necessarily follow the typical
forgetting curve as various noise and outside factors influence what information would be remembered.[6]
There is debate among supporters of the hypothesis about the shape of the curve for events and facts that are more
significant to the subject.[7] Some supporters, for example, suggest that memories of shocking events such as the
Kennedy Assassination or 9/11 are vividly imprinted in memory (flashbulb memory). Others have compared
contemporaneous written recollections with recollections recorded years later, and found considerable variations as
the subject's memory incorporates after-acquired information.[8] There is considerable research in this area as it
relates to eyewitness identification testimony. It should be noted that eye witness accounts are demonstrably
unreliable. [8]

See also
Atrophy
Spaced repetition

Notes
1. ^ http://uwaterloo.ca/counselling-services/curve-forgetting
2. ^ Schacter, D. L. (2009). Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-4292-3719-2.
3. ^ http://users.ipfw.edu/abbott/120/Ebbinghaus.html
4. ^ Loftus, Geoffrey R. (1985). Evaluating Forgetting Curves. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,
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Forgetting curve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Memory, and Cognition, 11. 2 : 397-406.

5. ^ http://uwaterloo.ca/counselling-services/curve-forgetting
6. ^ Averell, L., & Heathcote, A. (2011). The form of the forgetting curve and the fate of memories. Journal Of
Mathematical Psychology, 55(1), 25-35. doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2010.08.009
7. ^ http://www.trainingindustry.com/wiki/entries/forgetting-curve.aspx
8. ^ a b "Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts"
(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-the-eyes-have-it).

References
"Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology -- Ebbinghaus (1885/1913)"
(http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Ebbinghaus/index.htm). Retrieved 2007-08-23.
Schacter, Daniel L (2001). The seven sins of memory: how the mind forgets and remembers. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-21919-6.
Baddeley, Alan D. (1999). Essentials of human memory. Hove: Psychology. ISBN 0-86377-544-6.
Bremer, Rod. The Manual - A guide to the Ultimate Study Method (USM) (Amazon Digital Services).
Loftus, Geoffrey R. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition11. 2 (Apr
1985): 397-406.
http://www.trainingindustry.com/wiki/entries/forgetting-curve.aspx
Averell, L., & Heathcote, A. (2011). The form of the forgetting curve and the fate of memories. Journal Of
Mathematical Psychology, 55(1), 25-35. doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2010.08.009
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-the-eyes-have-it
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Categories: Memory processes
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