Memory and Forgetting

Memory is the process of encoding, storing and retrieving information. The standard model has three stores — sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. Forgetting is the failure to retrieve, and most of it happens in the first hours after learning, which is why timing of revision matters.

The three stores

George Miller's magical number seven, plus or minus two is why a Class 2 child cannot follow a five-part instruction. Chunking helps: a phone number is remembered in groups, and a spelling is remembered in syllables.

Kinds of long-term memory

• Episodic — personal events, such as last year's school trip.
• Semantic — facts and meanings, such as the parts of a plant.
• Procedural — how to do things, such as riding a cycle or writing letters.

Theories of forgetting

• Trace decay — the memory trace fades when it is not used.
• Interference — other learning gets in the way. Proactive interference is old learning disturbing new; retroactive is new learning disturbing old.
• Retrieval failure — the material is there but the cue is missing; a hint brings it back.
• Motivated forgetting — unpleasant memories are repressed, an idea from Freud.

Ebbinghaus's curve of forgetting showed that loss is steepest immediately after learning and then flattens. The practical answer is spaced revision — the same day, the next day, after a week.

Improving retention in Classes 1-5

• Teach for meaning; understood material is retained far longer than rote material.
• Use spaced and varied revision rather than one long cramming session.
• Use recitation and self-testing — recall practice beats rereading.
• Link new material to what the child already knows and to concrete experience.
• Use overlearning for basic facts such as tables, and mnemonics where order matters.

✗ Long study in one sitting gives the best retention.  |  ✓ Spaced practice over several days beats one massed session.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capacity of short-term memory?

About seven items, plus or minus two, held for roughly twenty to thirty seconds. George Miller established this figure, and chunking related items into groups is the standard way to work within the limit.

What is the difference between proactive and retroactive interference?

Proactive interference is when previously learnt material disturbs the recall of newly learnt material. Retroactive interference is when newly learnt material disturbs the recall of what was learnt earlier.

What is the best way to revise for long-term retention?

Spaced or distributed practice with active recall — revising the same day, the next day and again after a week, and testing oneself rather than rereading, since forgetting is fastest immediately after learning.