Spacing Effect
Information is better learned when study sessions are spaced over time rather than crammed.
The spacing effect is the phenomenon whereby learning is greater when studying is spread out over time, as opposed to studying the same amount of content in a single session (massed practice, or 'cramming'). It was identified by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885 through his pioneering experiments on memory and forgetting. Spaced repetition systems like Anki implement this effect algorithmically.
What it looks like in the wild.
- Everyday life Language Learning Language learners who study 20 minutes per day for a week retain vocabulary far better than those who study for 2.5 hours in one session before a test.
Recognising a definition is not the same skill as spotting it.
Two scenarios from the app, with distractors drawn from the same family of biases — which is what makes them hard.
Sophie practices her presentation in short sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, convinced this will make her more fluent on the day of the actual talk.
Carlos is learning to bake sourdough. He feeds the starter, bakes a loaf, and then waits three days before his next attempt, finding his skill improves with these intervals.
Biases rarely arrive alone.
Understand more. Assume less.
188 biases, 18,869 scenarios, and a record of how you actually decide.
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