[Series: Influential Educators] Hermann Ebbinghaus & the Forgetting Curve
Have you ever met somebody for the first time, looked them in the eye, shook their hand and introduced yourself only to moments later completely forget their name? Or how about those times you uttered the words, “Oh, I was about to ask you something and I totally forgot!” as you can almost feel the information you’re grasping for slipping farther and farther away into the recesses of your mind.
You’re not alone. And in fact, the process of forgetting and measuring the strength of our memory has been studied over time. This brings us to our latest researcher and theory featured in our educational influencer series: Hermann Ebbinghaus and The Forgetting Curve.
Hermann Ebbinghaus was born in Germany in January of 1850. Throughout his education, he was known to study at the Universities of Bonn, Berlin and Halle, with an interest in philosophy, receiving his Ph.D. in 1873. He later became an associate professor at the University of Berlin followed by a full professor at Breslau and then at Halle.
The Study of Memory
In 1885, Ebbinghaus published research for one of his most well-known studies: Über das Gedachtnis: Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie or Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology.
In this study, Ebbinghaus experimented with the idea of memory, including learning, retention, association and reproduction. He was interested in learning more about the idea of examining sensations or ideas that were once bright into our consciousness but have faded, yet by no means cease to exist. Memories are eloquently described by Ebbinghaus in an English translation of his work, “Although the inwardly-turned look may no longer be able to find them, nevertheless they have not been utterly destroyed and annulled, but in a certain manner they continue to exist, stored up, so to speak, in the memory. We cannot, of course, directly observe their present existence, but it is revealed by the effects which come to our knowledge with a certainty like that with which we infer the existence of the stars below the horizon.”
Ebbinghaus describes two main kinds of memory reproduction in his study. Voluntary recollection is when we think back to dig up a memory intentionally — the name of a restaurant you visited or the colour of your friend’s cat.
The second type of recall is involuntary. Sometimes memories spontaneously pop into our heads as a matter of association — you may see or hear something that reminds you of information residing in your unconscious (Deja-vu, anyone?).
Ebbinghaus also discusses differences in how individuals retain and recall memory as well as the content of what we are trying to remember. One main differentiator is that everybody learns and retains information to varying degrees, both good and bad, depending on influencers like age or time of day. The other main differentiator Ebbinghaus points out is the content of what we are trying to reproduce. While you might easily be able to recall all the lyrics to your favourite song, quoting an entire Shakespeare poem may prove to be more difficult.
However, we must also take into consideration the level of attention and interest associated to particular memories, “The burnt child shuns the fire … after a single vivid experience. People in whom we are interested we may see daily and yet not be able to recall the color of their hair or of their eyes,” described Ebbinghaus.
All different types of memory aside, Ebbinghaus was interested in learning more about memory processes, including testing memory strength.
Nonsense Syllables & The Forgetting Curve
To study memory strength, Ebbinghaus developed an experiment, of which he is most well-known, involving a series of approximately 2,300 nonsense syllables. These syllables were developed by randomly placing a vowel between two consonants, mixed up and then chosen by chance to provide the series Ebbinghaus used during his experiments.
These nonsense syllables were used because they held no meaning and would be beneficial in trying to avoid thought association. In his experiments, Ebbinghaus attempted to memorize the series of words and then tested himself to see how long he was or was not able to retain the information for. After everything was said and done, the information was displayed using a graph that is now known as The Forgetting Curve.
In a nutshell, Ebbinghaus discovered that although we retain information very well at the time it is learned, our ability to remember that information can quickly drop to about 40 per cent over a matter of days. As time progresses, we continue to forget older information, but at a slower rate.
Although these stats may be alarming at first, it’s important to remember that there are ways to improve our memory strength.
Improving Memory Strength
Ebbinghaus discussed two main ways to help us strengthen our memory. Their first is by making associations between the information we are trying to memorize. The more ways we are able to connect information, the stronger we are in our ability to retain it.
In addition to making connections in what we are studying, repetition also plays a key role. The more time we revisit the information we are trying to learn, the better we are able to remember it, as shown in the chart above.
A common example that helps brings this theory theory to life can be realized when you consider studying for an important test or exam. If you studied the material once, you’re not likely to be happy with your results. However, if you study for a period of time daily over the course of the week leading up to the test, you feel more confident in your knowledge of the material and can recall it more easily.
Overlearning
Ebbinghaus is also credited for providing preliminary research in his memory study on the topic of overlearning. Simply put, overlearning is studying or repeating information over and above the necessary minimum required to learn the subject matter. The concept is best described by Ebbinghaus, “as the number of repetitions increases, the series are engraved more and more deeply and indelibly; if the number of repetitions is small, the inscription is but surface deep and only fleeting glimpses of the tracery can be caught.”
Today, we might consider overlearning to be similar to the studying habit we call cramming. By front loading as much information as possible right before a test, we are technically overlearning the material. Although it might not be the most accredited studying habit, it still may be able to provide some success.
While Ebbinghaus’ research focused on repetition and the memory, it is clear that his work can be applied to how we study and learn. As many adaptive learning technologies focus on repetition as a means of instilling information for students, it is safe to say they might not be as advanced as they are today without his insights.
Originally published on the McGraw-Hill Education Canada blog.
