Ebbinghaus (1885) was the first to systematically study how it is forgotten over time, we are all intuitively aware of this phenomenon, so we transmit this information that we want to keep in our memory, thus avoiding its erasure in time. slide down the curve of oblivion, even if we don’t realize it.
The funny thing is that when looking for this phenomenon, which happens to us all to a greater or lesser degree, but equally, Ebbinghaus was his own object of experience, in this way he came to define what is now called the curve of oblivion.
- As they say.
- Ebbinghaus was the first psychologist to scientifically study memory or at least was the first to try.
- Graduated from the University of Bonn.
- Where he received his doctorate in 1873.
- Developed his entire career as a memory researcher with a very clear idea: quantitative analysis methods were applicable to higher mental processes.
In other words, Ebbinghaus thought that in psychology it was possible to measure and measure correctly, for this purpose it certainly assumed as a reference variable a variable that we all use: time, in your case the time of oblivion.
He conducted many very reliable experiments for the experimental control instruments he had at the time, and with these experiences he tried to unravel the functioning of memory on the basis of a number of laws.
For example, he performed a memory scan test, known as the “gap test,” based on repetition of sentences where certain words had been intentionally omitted. With this study, I hoped not only to be able to work on understanding the nature of learning and forgetting, but also that it would have practical value in the field of education.
“Ebbinghaus was the first psychologist to study memory scientifically.
Much of the criticism received for his research findings is based on the fact that his interest is, in fact, the acquisition of habits of verbal repetition rather than the search for memory as it operates in everyday situations. that its results are optimal for controlled laboratory conditions, but that in real life, memory is subject to conditions that can hardly be replicated, such as motivation, involuntary repetition or the influence of emotional impact.
His work includes The Intelligence of School Children (1897), Memory (1913), Textbook of Experimental Psychology, Vol. 1 (1902), Vol. 2 (1908). Before talking about the forgetfulness curve, it is necessary to know some basic aspects of memory and learning that will help us better understand the importance of this curve.
It is not easy to formally define learning because there are many different perspectives, each of which focuses on a different facet of this complex process, a definition of learning could simply refer to the behavior that can be observed.
For example, the fact that someone is driving a car shows that they have learned to drive. Another definition of learning could also refer to a state of internal knowledge that could be demonstrated, in turn, by providing examples of how this theory is proven.
“Is learning a change that occurs in the mental state of an organism, which is a consequence of experience and has a relatively permanent influence on the body’s potential for subsequent adaptive behavior?
Many dictionaries define this type of learning as “knowledge acquired through study”. In common parlion, we say that we know the Greek alphabet, the names of the bones of the inner ear or the stars of the constellation Cassiopeia. The two perspectives (observable behavior and inner state) are important views and are consistent with contemporary learning theory.
Thus, learning can be defined as: “Learning is a change that occurs in the mental state of an organism, which is a consequence of experience and has a relatively permanent influence on the body’s potential for subsequent adaptive behavior. “
Partnership laws have directly influenced learning research, there is no better example of this than the work of Ebbinghaus (1850-1909), who he says, developing a partnership between two mental events could be better studied using stimuli devoid of prior association. .
Precisely, trying to work with meaningless stimuli, Ebbinghaus used the so-called meaningless syllables (BIJ or LQX) that it considered devoid of inherent meaning. Ebbinghaus spent a lot of time associating one stimulus with another and then repeating it.
Working in this way and with such stimuli (meaningless syllables), he directly tested many of the principles of the association, developed more than 100 years ago, for example, determined whether stimuli written together on the list would be more firmly associated than syllables that were not together.
Ebbinghaus’ research confirmed many of the ideas first proposed by British empiricalrs: for example, that proactive partnerships are stronger than retroactive associations (if so?Has? Precedes the syllroom? B ?, then?Has? Better evoke the memory of ? B?That? B? The memory of?LA?). Interesting, isn’t it?
To study learning is to study memory and, therefore, also the curve of oblivion. Remember that learning would not be possible without memory because each execution of a reaction learned requires a reminder (partial or total) of the previous test.
What is stored in our memory, what we learn, goes through at least three phases: coding, storage and recovery. In the first phase of any learning process, what we do is code information, translate it into the language of our nervous system and in that language give it a place in our memory.
Second, during the conservation or storage phase, information or knowledge persists over time; in some cases, this phase can be quite brief; for example, short-term memory information lasts only between 15 and 20 seconds.
“The three phases of memory are: encoding, storage, and recovery
In other cases, storing a memory can last a lifetime. This form of storage is called “long-term memory”. Third, the recovery or execution phase is one in which the individual remembers the information and gives the answer, providing evidence of having previously learned.
If execution is appropriate against levels demonstrated at the time of acquisition, carelessness is said to be minimal; however, if execution slows down considerably, we say there has been an oversight; In addition, in many cases, it is simple to quantify the amount lost, the time it took to waste a real part of what was previously encoded.
A fundamental challenge of psychology is to understand why memories persist once encoded or, on the contrary, why forgetfulness occurs after learning. There are several approaches that seek to answer these questions.
Some storage theories focus on what happens to information during the storage phase, for example, the theory of decomposition states that forgetfulness occurs because memories weaken or their strength decreases during the retention interval, it is somewhat similar to what happens with footprints in the sand. the beach.
Although some evidence supports this view, few contemporary theorists describe oblivion in terms of memory degradation.
On the other hand, interference theory states that forgetfulness occurs because you acquire elements of memory that compete with others during the retention interval; for example, acquiring new information may cause us to forget about previous information (retroactive interference). The problem involves many statements and complexities rather than a simple one.
Similarly, the presence of previous information may interfere with the expression of newly formed memory (proactive interference). For example, we’ll better remember someone’s phone number if it looks like ours.
“Few contemporary memory researchers describe oblivion in terms of memory degradation.
Recovery theories state that forgetting is the result of an error in retrieving information during the execution phase, i. e. the memory element?It survives the retention interval, but the subject simply cannot access it.
A good analogy would be to search a library for a book instead on the shelves. The workbook is in the library (the information is intact) but cannot be found (the subject cannot retrieve the information). contemporary memory supports this view.
The simple passage of time seems to have a negative effect on retention capacity. As mentioned above, Ebbinghaus (1885) was the first to systematically study the loss of information in memory over time, defining what is called the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve. Curve? Refers to the chart of your search results.
We have already seen that he himself was the subject of his investigation and that the investigation consisted of learning from lists of thirteen syllables that he repeated until he was wrong in two successive attempts; subsequently, it assessed its retention capacity at intervals between twenty minutes and one month. Apart from these kinds of experiences, he has built his famous curve of oblivion.
“One of the conclusions Ebbinghaus has reached is that the simple passage of time has a negative effect on retention capacity.
These results seek to explain how long it is possible to store content in memory if it is not retained enough; the results of his research have shown that forgetfulness occurs even at shorter intervals; In addition, he found that with insignificant material and therefore, without association, oblivion increased over time, very early and more slowly thereafter, so if we put this information on a chart, we will see how the forgetfulness curve is shaped like a logarithmic curve.
In this way, the curve of oblivion illustrates memory loss over time. A related concept is memory intensity, which indicates how long content is maintained in the brain, the more intense a memory is, the harder it is.
A typical graph of the curve of oblivion shows how, in a few days or weeks, we forget half of what we’ve learned, if we don’t remember. Each test was also found to allow the next exam to go further in time to retain the same. Therefore, if we want to remember something, perhaps the first review should be done in an hour, so that the next review can be done when more time has passed.
The curve of memory has a very steep drop when it comes to memorizing a meaningless material, as Ebbinghaus did, but it is almost flat with respect to traumatic experiences, on the other hand, there may be a slight decrease, not so much because of the characteristics of the information, but because the information is implicitly reviewed (for example, reviving experiments, using the alphabet to search for a dictionary).
A practical example of how quickly we forget the data, and therefore the forgetfulness curve, if there is no immediate review is this: one day after studying and not having reviewed, it is possible to forget up to 50% of what is studied. Two days later, you’ll remember less than 30%. A week later, you’ll be lucky if you remember more than 3%.
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