Variable learning: The key to more effective study habits

When it comes to understanding the process of effective learning, there are some variables that make it less straightforward. While many believe that repetition is the key to mastering new information, research suggests that the reality is far more intricate.

The human memory, as complex as it is, relies on several factors for successful information retrieval. These factors include context, variation, and the way knowledge is reinforced over time.

Simply reviewing material in the same way may not always yield the best results, highlighting the need for more dynamic approaches.

Improving memory performance

When it comes to providing practical guidelines for effective learning, it’s not always easy to translate scientific findings into actionable strategies.

Learners often fall into the trap of relying on familiar study methods that may feel effective but fail to promote long-term retention.

A recent study offers compelling evidence that varying methods of learning and recalling information could significantly improve memory performance, providing fresh insight into the subject.

Rediscovering memory retrieval

So what does it take for our brain to learn and remember effectively? Is there a method for memorizing things more efficiently?

The answer perhaps lies not only in retrieving information from memory at regular intervals – but also doing it in varied ways.

The study was led by scientists from SWPS University in Warsaw and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The initial findings suggest that one could boost memory recall using a method that the researchers refer to as “variable learning.”

This technique involves introducing variety into the way we memorize, essentially learning about a phenomenon from different perspectives, contexts, and methods.

According to the study, even the process of retrieval should be varied (not tied to identical cues leading to the answer).

Understanding variable retrieval in learning

In their research paper, “The role of variable retrieval in effective learning,” the experts examined the many layers of the concept of variable learning.

In a series of experiments, participants were asked to learn foreign words, specifically Finnish. These words were embedded in sentences presented in the participants’ native language. For instance, “Dad is sweeping the lattia” (Finnish: floor).

During the study, each foreign word was presented multiple times, either in the same sentence or in different sentences.

The researchers found that memory performance was improved when foreign words were presented in varied sentences rather than repetitive ones.

The benefits of this method were observed both immediately after the study phase and 24 hours later.

False belief in learning methods

Interestingly, the participants believed that it was easier for them to memorize foreign words when they learned them using the same sentences repetitively, which contradicted the test results.

This phenomenon is referred to as a metacognitive illusion – a false belief in the effectiveness of certain learning conditions, leading to less effective ways of learning.

Challenges of variable learning

The concept of learning different features of information in each session is not foreign; it’s vital for long-term memory. This could be analogous to creating multiple paths to memorized information, which can then be used to retrieve it.

The more paths we create while learning, the higher the chance of effectively recalling the information later. Such a diverse way of learning, where we explore several aspects of information, is a challenge for our memory.

While this approach requires more effort than learning repetitively, the effort boosts knowledge acquisition.

“If we want our knowledge to be useful, i.e., accessible in different circumstances and in response to different cues or questions on a test, we should enrich our study sessions with the following difficulties: retrieving previously learned information (instead of reading it multiple times), spreading learning over a period of time (instead of accumulating it in a single learning session), and retrieving information from memory in different ways (and not in response to the same cue),” noted study co-author Dr. Ewa Butowska-Buczyńska.

The researchers believe that their findings could guide effective learning strategies. However, they noted that further work is needed to put these methods of learning into a broader context.

The full study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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