Memory, Spaced Repetition and Life

13 Duke 10 June 2011 12:07AM

I have made the case that with the advent of the internet went the need to memorize anything. Why worry about memorizing when I'll never be tested for a grade and can access knowledge nearly instantaneously? As well, I reasoned, I have probably already memorized everything I need to. I focused my time instead on learning thinking techniques, such as Bayesian calculations, expected value calculations and various things for improving emotional control.

But after reading this a couple months back I decided to experiment with Anki, a digital flashcard program which exploits a cognitive phenomenon called the Spacing Effect by implementing a memorization technique called Spaced Repetition. The Spacing Effect is the widely observed tendency for people to recall information better when studied a few times over a long period than when studied many times over a short period. Balota et al (2007):

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Coffee: When it helps, when it hurts

43 JustinShovelain 10 March 2010 06:14AM
Many people take caffeine always, or never. But the evidence is clear: for some tasks, drink coffee -- for others, don't.
Caffeine:
So:
Use  caffeine for short-term performance on a focused task (such as an exam).
Avoid  caffeine for tasks that require broad creativity and long-term learning.
(Disclaimer: The greater altertness, larger short-term memory capacity, and eased recall might make the memories you do make of higher quality.)
At least, this is my take. But the issue is convoluted enough that I'm unsure. What do you think?