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FAQ:Memory(Misceallaneous)

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Frequentlyaskedquestionsaboutmemory
Doyouhaveaquestionaboutmemory,learningorSuperMemo?WritetoDrWozniak
Lastmodified:02/22/201514:29:35

Memory
YourIQdoesnotreallymatter
WhataretheyoungestusersofSuperMemo?
Wholearnsfaster:larksorowls?
Itishardertolearnforeignlanguagesafterforty
Thereisaphysicallimitationonhowmuchwecanlearnperday
Werememberpicturesbetterthanwords
Forgettingisadecayprocessthatcanwipeoutmemoriesforgood
Memorizationallowsofemployingassociationalthinking
Themainmythtoclearout:EasylearninginRelaxation
Maximumspeedoflearningisnotwhatyoureallyneed!
Readingalsoinvolvesactiverecall
Puttingthingsinthesameplaceisagoodidea
Tomemorizenames,combinemnemonictechniqueswithspacedrepetition
HerbertSimonguessontheexpertmemorypowerreflectshisgenius
Polyphasicsleepcanhurtyourlearning
Poormemoryisusuallyaselfimposedlimitation
Spacingeffectresultsfromreducedpotentialforincreasingsynapticstrength
Automaticitydoesnotcorrelatewiththeprobabilityofforgetting
Mixingdeclarativeandprocedurallearningmaybegoodforyou
Agesoldtechniquesarestillvalid
Yourownpersonalizedpeglistwouldworkbest
Whatkindofmusicisbestforremembering?
Whydosynapsesgetweakerduringsleep?
Thereisnopointwhenyoucansaythatagivenpieceofinformationisrememberedforever
Wedonottakeanofficialstandonmemoryenhancingdrugsandadvisecautionandconsulting
yourphysician
Memory"overflow"isnot"fatal"
Seealso:
FAQ:SuperMemo
FAQ:SuperMemoAlgorithm
Speedlearningtechniques
(ElenaandRachel,US,Dec12,1997)
Question:
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DopeoplewithhigherIQbenefitmorefromSuperMemo?
Answer:
PeoplewithhigherIQaremorelikelytofindcleverusesforSuperMemoandtheyareusuallyfasterto
grasptheprinciplesoftheprogram.TheyarealsomorelikelytobecomeaddictedtoSuperMemoasone
oftheirmostimportantapplications.However,recentresearchindicatesnosignificantcorrelation
betweenIQandanyof30majorstudiedlearningparametersusedinSuperMemo
Question:
Itiswellknownthatpeoplecanbedividedintolatesleepers,owls,andearlysleepers,larks.Hasthere
beenanyresearchtoindicatewhatsleepingtypehasbettermemory?
Answer:
Theconvictionthatpeoplearesettobeeitherlarksorowlsiswrong.Mostowlswouldclaimitis
virtuallyimpossibletoshifttoearlierhoursofsleepwhilelarksjustcannotkeeptheireyesopenlatein
theevening.However,thereasonforthisdifferentiationislargelydependentonthelifestyle.The
stereotypeisreinforcedbythefactthatitisindeedverydifficulttoshiftthesleepingrhythmevenbya
fewhours.Ifyoutrytoforceanowltostartgettingupat5am,youwillexposehimorhertoimmense
mentalandphysicaltorturethatmayquicklyresultinserioushealthconsequences!However,withthe
rightapproach,anowlcangraduallybeshiftedintoanearlyrisermode!Theshiftmustbegradualasno
magicforcecaninstantlyoverridethebody'sinternalclock.Themainreasonwhyowlsareowlsisthat
theytendtoexcitedlyspendtheirtimeoverabook,movie,orcomputergametillearlyhoursofthe
morning.Theyenjoythequietofthenightwhentheycanpursuetheirpassion.Subconsciously,theytry
togetasmuchofthenighttimefortheirpursuitsaspossible.Wereitnotforschoolobligations,family
orajob,owlsmighteasilyshifttogoingtosleepatsunriseorlater.Thisiswhyanowlwillfinditeasy
togotosleeplaterandlater,whileitwillbenearlyimpossibletograduallyshiftthesleepingrhythmin
theoppositedirection(e.g.2030minutesearliereachday).Owlsmayhavealongerclockperiodorbe
lesssensitivetoresettingsignals,buttheycanadoptafarmer'slifestyleandbecomelarks.Ifanowlgoes
tosleep1hourlatereachday,soonitwillcycletosleepthroughthedayandfinallystartgettingupas
earlyas12am.Anowlcancomfortablysticktosuchacycleforquitelonguntilitsnaturaltendencyto
gotosleeplatereachdaywillnotruinit.Moreover,peopleisolatedfromexternalstimulitendtofallinto
cyclesslightlylongerthan24hourswhichalsoexplainwhyitiseasiertoprolongthedayratherthanto
shortenthenight.
Lifestyleandpersonalityarecriticalhere.Owlsmayshowlotsofexcitementforlearningasthis
excitementisthemainfactorthatmakesthemowls.Ontheotherhand,larkscanmakebetteruseofearly
morninghourswheretheycanstudyinquietatthetimewhentheirbrainsaremostrefreshed.The
formulaforbestlearningisthen(1)togotosleepinaccordancewithone'sownbodyclock(i.e.when
actuallysleepy),(2)togetupnaturally(i.e.withoutanalarmclock)and(3)learnatthepeakofone's
alertness(whichinanaturalrhythmshouldcomeshortlyafterawakening).
Itishardertolearnforeignlanguagesafterforty
(PawelW.,Poland,Aug07,2001)

Question:
IhavebeenlearningEnglishforseveraldecades,butIstillspeakpoorly.MyIQiswellaboveaverage,I
amnotlazy,andotherwiseIhaveafluentcommandofthelanguage.IlearnedEsperantoinafewweeks
andspeakgoodGerman.ButspeakingEnglishisalwaysaproblem.Anysuggestions?
Answer:
Overtheyears,youhavecertainlyacquiredphonetic,lexicalandmnemonicrepresentationpatternsthat
depriveyouofrudimentarybuildingblocksthatenablefastlearningoflanguagesotherthanyournative
one!IfyouplaywiththePolishword"start"inyourmemory,youuseaveryscantysynaptic
representationthatmakesprocessingfastandretentioneasy.Ifyouwanttousetheword"start"in
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English,suddenlyyouarefacedwithaburdenofconnotationsthatmakelearningquitefrustrating.The
merepronunciationpatternmayrequireweeksofeffortdevotedtoasinglevowel.Youneedspecialized
circuitrytoprocessthissinglevowel,extractitintheflowofspeech,pronounceitindifferentcontexts,
skipitwhenpossible,andemphasizewhennecessary.Yourlanguagetoolkithasalreadybeenmoldedto
fityournativelanguage.Itisnottruethatyoulearnslowerthanyoungkids.Yourmainobstacleisto
unlearnhundredsofneuraldogmasaboutthelanguage.Thenyouneedtodevelopanewspecialized
circuitsforprocessingbuildingblocksofspeech.Theshortestpathtoresolvingthisproblemistofind
peopletowhoyouwillbeabletospeakEnglishandusethelanguageasoftenaspossible.Fillupthe
gapsinknowledgewithSuperMemo.EachtimeyoupauseonawordorphrasewhileitsPolish
equivalentisreadytoserveinyourmemory,storetheappropriateassociationinSuperMemo(e.g.Polish
wordvs.Englishword,andlater,Englishworddefinitionvs.Englishword).Onlywithmonthsofintense
trainingwillyoubeabletoovercomementalobstaclesthatalsogrowinyourmindwitheachfrustrating
yearoflimitedprogress.Allinall,itmayappeareasiertodevelopafluentcommandofspokenEnglish
thattolearntodecodevariousdialectsofEnglishfromallcornersoftheworld.Againuntoldhoursof
trainingareneededtoachieveproficiency.Youmaygreatlysimplifyyourtaskifyoudefinitelydecide
nottostruggletogetridofyourPolishaccent.Internationalcommunicationneedstostrivetonever
discriminatebetweenindividualsonthebasisoftheiraccent
Thereisaphysicallimitationonhowmuchwecanlearnperday
(RobynHarteBunting,Friday,February20,20045:15PM)

Question:
AlanBaddeley's1976book"ThePsychologyofMemory"(Chapter2"InputLimitations")citedan
experimentinwhichpostmenweretaughttotypeonavarietyofschedules.Theresultsstrongly
indicatedthatthereisadefinitelimitation,probablyphysicalconcerningtheconsolidationofthememory
trace,tohowmuchcanbelearnedinadayandthattoomucheffortledtonegativereturns.Areyou
awareofanyresearchquantifyingthislimitation,whichisdistinctfromthemorepragmaticSuperMemo
limitontheamountofreviewnecessaryfortoolargeaninput.Howmanyitems,inputtedforthefirst
time,outstripsthebrainscapacitytoconsolidatethemasmemories?
Thepostmenexperimentwasdescribedin"ThePsychologyofMemory"andagaininhismorerecent
"YourMemory,aUser'sGuide".Baddeley'sexperimentshowedthatof4groupsofpostmenwholearned
totypeover60hours,theonehouradaygroupattainedafarhigherskilllevelthanthosewhopractised
4hoursperday,2hoursperdayinonesessionandthosewhodid2onehoursessions.Infact,thedata
showsthatthe4hourgroupmusthaveexperiencednegativereturnsatsomepoint.Hedescribesasimilar
resultinawartimeexperimentingroupslearningMorsecode.Thisisodd,inthatin"GeniusExplained"
byRoweacommonfindinginindividualsofveryhighabilityisthattheyhaveputintypically10,000
practisehoursbeforevirtuosoperformanceisachieved.Theydonotwork"littleandoften"asthe
experimentswouldsuggest.
Baddeleyhypothesizesalimittothedailylearningrateandsuggestsitisbasedontimeneedto
physicallyconsolidatememorytraces.Inpracticalterms,itisveryimportanttobeabletoquantifythis
limitinordertohaveefficientlearningandpractise.
Answer:
Thereisindeedalimitonhowmuchwecanlearnperday.However,withgoodstrategy,theredoesnot
seemtobealimitbeyondwhichweshouldstoplearning.
Firstweneedtodrawadistinctionbetweenprocedurallearninganddeclarativelearning.Procedural
learningisusedtoacquiringaskillsuchasridingabikeortypingthekeyboard.Inprocedurallearning,
wedonottellthebrainexactlyhowitshouldperform.Thebrainprovides"theanswer"onitsownby
trialanderror,whileweonly"approveordisapprove"ofitsperformance.Indeclarativelearning,asin
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memorizingatextbook,wetellthebrainexactlywhattolearn,andexpectittoencodeinformationin
memory.Procedurallearning,bydefinition,ishighlyrepetitive(yourepeatthesamemovesagainand
again,onlywithaslightlyimprovedprecision).Withdeclarativelearning,wewanttominimizethe
repetition.Forthosereasonsweneedtodiscussthetwotypesoflearningseparately.
Procedurallearning
Inprocedurallearning,asinthetypingpostmenexperiment,thefollowingfactorsmayresultintheneed
tostopthepractiseatsomepoint:
thelawofthediminishingreturns:afteralongerpractise,thereislessandlessimprovementin
unittime.Thismakeslearninginefficient.Itisfarmorepracticaltoswitchtoanothertraining
proceduretocapitalizeonhigherreturns
fatigue:procedurallearningofteninvolvesastrainonthemotorsystem(e.g.carpaltunnel
syndromemaybearesultofexcessiveuseofthekeyboard).Thiscallsforstrictlimitsonthe
amountofpractise,esp.innovices
degradingattention:ifmentalfatiguewillresultinlosstoattention,the"commandsystem"will
notefficiently"supervise"thelearningprocedure.Thismayresultinunlearning!
Ifyouseevirtuosospracticingalldaylongandgettingexcellentreturns,itallcomesfromthemasteryof
thelearningprocedureitself.Atopclassviolinistwillcounteractallfactorsthatputthelimitonthe
recommendedamountofprocedurallearning.Shewillswitchtheroutinetoavoiddiminishingreturns.
Shewillkeepherentireupperlimbmotorsysteminexcellentshapetoeffectivelyavoidoveruseinjury.
Mostofall,shewillmastertheartofattentionandcapitalizeonherpassionfortheviolintoavoidthe
effectsofunlearning.Consequently,therewillalwaysbeanaturallimitonherdailyprogress,butthere
maybenolimitontheamountoftrainingotherthantheneedtotakebreaks(e.g.forlunch)andtheneed
tosleep(toconsolidatetheresultsoflearning).
Declarativelearning
Asinprocedurallearning,therearefactorsthatwilllimittheefficiencywiththeprogressoflearningona
givenday:
thelawofdiminishingreturns:withspacingeffect,repeatedreviewofthesamematerialquickly
resultsinacompleteabsenceofprogress.Evenworse:excessivereviewmaypreventeffective
consolidationoflongtermmemories.IfyougetanewcreditcardandanewPINcode,youare
likelytorememberyourPINaslongasyouuseitoften.However,ashortbreakinusemayresult
inasuddeninabilitytoretrievethePINcodefrommemory.Thememorylapseisfarlesslikelyif
breaksinuseincreasegraduallyallowingoflongtermconsolidationthatisnotpossibleordifficult
withfrequentuseofthememoryinquestion.
fatigueanddegradingattention:theamountofnewinformationwecanacquireinasingledayis
huge.Scientistshypothesizethatweareabletotakeinsomuchduetoevolvingatwocomponent
memorysystem:shorttermfastcodingsparselowvolumememoryandlongtermslowcoding
densehighvolumememory.Thetwosystemshaveevolvedtoresolveoneofthegreatestproblems
ofmemory:interference(i.e.confusingsimilarpiecesofmemory).Theshorttermsystemencodes
memoriesfastbutuseslotsofspacetoavoidinterference.Thelongtermsystemslowlyencodes
memoriesintheoptimumwaythatminimizesinterference.Thepracticaleffectofthetwosystem
memoryisthatwithpassinghours,wearelessandlesseffectiveinacquiringnewinformation.We
tendtoconfusethingsandgetirritable.Ourdefenseisfatigue.Oursolutionissleep.Sleepisa
greatmemoryoptimizer!
illhealtheffectsofoverlearning:ithasbeenhypothesizedthatexcessivelearningmayleadtoill
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effectsonthememorysystem.See:CantoomuchlearningcauseAlzheimer's?
Indeclarativelearning,unlikeinprocedurallearning,wecanaccomplishmaximumspeedoflearningif
weminimizethereviewofthematerialwithaviewtoaselectedlevelofknowledgeretention.Foreach
selectedretentionlevel,thereisanoptimumreviewschedulethatcaneasilybecomputed(asin
SuperMemo).Maximumspeedoflearningisreachedifweallow2025%ofthematerialtobeforgotten
bythetimeofreview.Forhigherretentionlevels,knowledgeacquisitionrateisslowedbytherapidly
increasingfrequencyofreview.Forlowerretentionlevels,knowledgeacquisitionisslowedby
forgetting.Inpractise,forexcellentlongtermresultsweelecttorememberanywherebetween80to98%
ofthelearnedmaterial.Formostimportantmaterial,wechoosehigherretentionatthecostoflower
knowledgeacquisitionrate(i.e.learningspeed).
Theexistenceoftheoptimumscheduleofreviewandtheoptimumknowledgerepresentationmakesit
possibletodeterminethenaturallimitontheamountofinformationacquiredinunittimeoverlifetime.
Thislimithasbeenvariouslyestimatedintherangeofmillionsofindividualpiecesofinformation(e.g.
flashcards,questions&answers,itemsinSuperMemo,etc.).
Asitwasthecasewithprocedurallearning,askilledstudentwillalsobeabletospendlonghourson
declarativelearningwithoutsufferingnegativeeffects.Hewillusespacedrepetitiontooptimizethe
learningscheduleandavoidspacingeffect(SuperMemo).Hewillformulateknowledgeforlearningin
thewaythatwillminimizeinterference,minimizefatigue,andmaximizeconsolidation(see:20rulesof
formulatingknowledge).Finally,hewilltakethebreakfromlearningwithincreasingfatigueandnever
neglectsufficientlylongandsoundsleepthatisthebestwarrantythatthedaylonglearningisoptimally
consolidatedforlongtermobjectives.
Conclusion:thekeytoovercomingthelimitsonthelearningrateandthedailyamountoflearningisthe
learningskills.Thosevitalskillsinclude:understandingoptimumknowledgerepresentation(howto
formulatequestions,whattrainingproceduretochoose,etc.),understandingoptimumrepetitionspacing
(whentomakethereview),understandingfatigueandsleep,passion(loveoflearning),overallfitness,
timemanagement,stressmanagement,etc.Alltheseskillsarediscussedindetailatsupermemo.com
(MissE216,US,Nov25,1997)
Question:
Weare7thgradersandworkonaprojectrelatedtomemory.WehaveaquestiontoDrWozniak:"Why
dowebetterrememberpicturesthanwordcombinations?"
Answer:
Inthecourseofevolution,humanspracticedvisualmemoryalot.Theydidnotdealmuchwithmathor
abstractions.Thatiswhytherearepartsofourbrainbuiltspeciallytoservevisualmemory.Asyou
know,evolutiongivesbetteradaptedindividualsabetterchanceforsurvival.Thosewhocouldremember
better,e.g.shapeofthepreyorenemy,couldsurvivebetter,andpasstheir"good"genestothenext
generation.Calculatingadifferentialwasnotneededinapesorearlyhumans.Thatiswhyevolutiondid
notbuiltaspecializedcalculatorintoourbrain.Ithas,however,builtacalculatorforprocessingvisual
data.You"typein"thepicture,andgetashortanswer:"danger!"or"food!".Thosesimplesignalsare
easiertorememberthan...streamsofbitsofacompleximage.Evolutionandmemoryarefun,aren't
they.
Forgettingisadecayprocessthatcanwipeoutmemoriesforgood
(G.W.,Feb16,2007,11:19:34)

Question:
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Somepsychologistsbelievethatforgettingisnotadecayprocess.Althoughitmayseemamemory
cannotberecalled,itisstillthere.Forexample,youcanrecognizeaniteminagroup.Oryourre
learningtimeisshorter.Withdisusememoriesbecomeinaccessiblebutnotgone.DoesSuperMemo
accountforthisfact?
Answer:
Weneedtodifferentiatebetweenmemorystabilityandmemoryretrievabilitytoshowthatmemoriesdo
fadeentirely.Retrievabilitycaseissimplerandobvious.Exponentialdecayisauniversalphenomenonin
biologyandphysics.Thisishowmemoryretrievabilitydeclines.ThiscanbeseeninSuperMemoin
forgettingcurvegraphs.Declineinretrievabilityisresponsibleformakingmemoriesinaccessibleat
somepoint.Theharderquestioniswhathappenswithmemorystability.Theproblemisthatwithdecline
inretrievability,stabilitycannolongerbemeasured.Onceweloseaccesstomemories,wehavenoway
totestforstabilityleftoversatthesynapticlevel.Thoseleftoversaredefinitelythere.Wecanseethatin
spacedrepetition.Stabilityofmemorieskeepsincreasingwitheachreview.Evenandespeciallythen
whenthememoryisonthevergeofbeingirretrievable.However,theevolutionarypurposeofforgetting
istofreethestoragefornewmemorytraces.Forgettingandspacingeffectworktogetherinoptimizing
thememorystorage.Ifsynapsessustainedtheirstabilityafter"forgetting"(i.e.whenmemoriesbecome
irretrievable),thebrainwouldgraduallyloseitsoriginaloptimizationcapacity.Newmemoriesmight
becomeveryeasytoestablishifparticipatingsynapseshadalreadybeenstabilized.Thatwouldmakethe
brainaprogressivelymoreconservativelearningmachine.Ifthis"becomingconservative"actually
happensinreality,itismorebecauseofpreviouslyestablishedmemories(i.e.statesthatinvolveboth
retrievabilityandstability).Notbecauseofthepreviouslyestablishedsynapticstabilitiesalone.
Iftherewasnodeclineinstability,youshouldbeabletoobservethefactinSuperMemousingthefirst
intervalgraph(thisgraphsshowsbothnewlymemorizeditemsaswellasitemsthathavebeenre
learned).Inawellexecutedlearningprocess,thelengthofthefirstintervalkeepsdecreasingforitems
witheachsuccessivememorylapse.Forgottenitemsareinnowayfavoredintheprocessofrelearning.
Inavastmajorityofcases,inamassivelearningprocess,forgettingasimpleitemwillrequirerelearning
asiffromscratch.Formorecomplexitems,thisislessvisible,astheseareoften"partlyforgotten"
makingfacilitatedrelearningpossible.
Passiverecognitioniseasilyexplainedatthenetworklevel.Whilememoriesdecay,individualsynapses
maynolongerprovideaccessroutestoaspecificnetwork.Inotherwords,adesiredconfigurationof
activitycannotbeevokedinactiverecall.However,passiverecognitioncanstillbepossibleasitmay
requireatinysubsetoforiginalactivitytotriggerrecognition.Afterall,therecognitionstimulusitself
providesactivationsthatareabletoplugthegapsinmemory.Similarly,relearningofpartiallyforgotten
materialisexplainablebythesamemechanism.Aslongastheportionofthepotentiatednetworkis
retained,theoriginalconfigurationofactivitycanberestoredandproducerelearningthatcapitalizeson
previouslyproducedstabilityofmemorytracesinindividualsynapsestakingpartinthenetwork.
However,oncethedecayprocessproceedsfarenough,neitherrecognitionnorfacilitatedrelearningwill
bepossible.Memorieswillbegoneforgood.
HowdoesSuperMemodealwithrelearning?Itmodifiestheestimateddifficultyoftheforgottenitem
andentersitintothelearningprocessanew.Asifneverlearnedbefore.Measurementsshowitvery
clearly,forasimplewellformulateditem,forgettingnearlywipesoutthebenefitsofpreviouslearning.
Ifyoulookattheforgettingcurvesforrelearneditems,theyareassteepasfornewlylearneditems.
Thoseitemscannotcapitalizeonpreviouslyearnedstability.Eachtimetheyarerelearned,theyforma
newpatternofactivation.Theprocessofbuildingstabilitymustthenbeginfromscratch.
Keepingthingsinmemoryisimportant!Memorizationallowsofemployingassociationalthinking
(T.P.S.,Poland,Fri,May18,200117:05)
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Question:
What'sthedifferencebetweenpersonsAandB:PersonAcanrecallthousandsoffactsin5secondsfrom
memory.PersonBcanlookupthosefactsin30secondsfromthenet.Clearly,personBismore
effective,becausehe/shehasn'tinvested30minuteseverydayinappendingthefactsandthenrepeating
themwithSuperMemo
Answer:
PersonAcanproduceinstantassociationsbetweenallthosethousandsideas.Ifthenumberis10,000,he
orshecanproduce10,000x(10,0001)instantassociationsofwhichmanymayappearuseful
(dependingontheactualcontentofmemory)PersonBcanproduceonlyasmanyassociationsashis
shorttermmemorycanholdwhilebrowsingthesources(say50x49incasehecankeep50thingsat
onceinshorttermmemory)
(DawidCalinski,Poland,Apr6,2001)
Question:
Whydoesthissitenotmentionlearningintherelaxedstate?Whatisyouropinionaboutalphawavesin
learning?DoyourecommendproductslikeBrainWaveGenerator,HemiSync,HolosyncorPolishSita
biofeedback?
Answer:
Wedorealizethatthepropercognitiveenvironmentisparamountforlearning.However,forclaritywe
usethetermconcentrationinsteadofanallinclusiverelaxation.Itishighlyrecommendedthatyou
maximizeyourconcentrationbytakingintoaccountthefollowingfactors:
beingcutofffromallsourcesofinterferenceinlearning(telephone,email,conversation,radio
andevenyourfavoritemusic)
findingtheoptimumcircadiantimingforlearning(e.g.earlyinthemorninginfreerunningsleep
cycle,lateintheeveninginDSPSindividualswhocannotaffordfreerunningsleep,etc.)
allaspectsofmentalandcognitivehealth(e.g.stressavoidance,substanceabuse,etc.)
Theconceptofrelaxationisoftenassociatedwithalphawavelearningwhichhasattractedlotsof
companiesthataremoreinterestedintheirbottomlinethantheircustomersactualsuccessinlearning.
EEGmeasurementscanbeusedtogenerallyconcludeonthecurrentstateofthebraininthesamewayas
youcoulddetectbustlingactivityinamajorcitybyscanningthesurroundingelectromagneticfield.The
usefulnessofalphawavescanninginlearningcanbecomparedtotheusefulnessofelectromagneticfield
scanningforsociallifeofacity.Youneedtofocusonthecausesratherthanonsymptoms.Alphawaves
appearprimarilyintheabsenceofvisualprocessingandotherintensementalprocesses.Thisiswhythey
cannotdogmaticallybeconsideredasadesiredlearningstate.Afterall,thedrowsyalphastatethat
precedesfallingasleepisexactlytheworstmomentforlearningduringyourday.
Inevaluatingthe"relaxationproducts"youneedtodifferentiatebetweentherelaxationeffectandthe
actuallearningeffect.Thenumberofcompaniesproducingfalseclaimsinthisfieldisastounding.Itis
veryeasytofallforasimplesolutiontoalearningproblem(e.g.get10Hzbinauralbeatdifferenceand
yourlearningproblemwillgoawayforlife,andperhapsyoursexdrivewillimproveatthesametime,
youwillsleepbetterandyouwilllookyounger).Theeasylearningsolutionexplainswhyfalseclaims
relatedto"learninginrelaxation"aresohardtoextinguish.
Atthesametime,ifyouneedtocopewithstressorinsomnia,manyproductsinthefieldmayhavea
legitimateapplication.CustomersofthePolishSitasystemjokinglyclaimthatthecompanywoulddo
betteriftheymarketedtheirproductasanappingsystem.Aworthyapplicationonitsown.Ifyouknow
ofrelaxationproductswithlegitimateclaimsandprovenresults,pleaseletusknow.Wewillgladlywrite
aboutthesubjectorprovidelinksfromthiswebsite
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(TomaszSzynalski,Poland,Oct18,1998)
Question:
Whatvalueoftheforgettingindexensurestheoptimumratioof(retention)/(timespentperday)?
Answer:
Paradoxically,thehighestspeedoflearningcanbeaccomplished...withoutSuperMemo!Inourdaily
lifewepickuplotsoffactsthatstayinourmemoryforlongwithfewrepetitionsinlifetime!The
problemisthattheseareusuallynotexactlythefactsorrulesthatarecriticaltoourgoals.Inotherwords,
notthespeedofacquiringnewitemscountsbutthespeedofacquiringnewitemsbearingagiven
content.
Itisdifficulttodetermineexactlywhatforgettingindexbringsthehighestacquisitionrate.Simulation
experimentshaveconsistentlypointedtothevalueof2530%.Youcanevenplotspeedvs.forgetting
graphusingyourownactuallearningmaterialinSuperMemo98orlaterusingTools:Statistics:
Simulation.Youwillprobablyalsoarrivetosimilarresults
Asyouperhapsknow,SuperMemodisallowsoftheforgettingindexabove20%.Thiscomesfromthe
factthatyoushouldaimatachievinghighspeedoflearningcombinedwithhighretentionofthelearned
material.Settingtheforgettingindexabove20%wouldbelikegivingupSuperMemoaltogetherand
comingbacktorememberingonlythatwhatiseasytoremember.Inhighlyinterlinkedmaterialwhere
newknowledgedependsonthepreviouslyacquiredknowledge,highforgettingratecanevenbemore
harmful
Nevertheless,ifyouwanttomaximizethespeedoflearningwithlittlecontroloverwhatactuallystaysin
yourmemory,settheforgettingindexto20%
Readingalsoinvolvesactiverecall
(TomaszP.Szynalski,Mon,May14,200116:39)

Question:
Ithinkyourwebsiteoverestimatestheimportanceofactiverecall,esp.inlearninglanguages.IfIread20
books(purelypassivereview),myresultwillbefarfromzero.Onthecontrary,myEnglishskillswill
shootup
Answer:
Activerecallisneededtoguaranteethehighretentionasdefinedbytheforgettingindex(even99%).
Dependingonvolume,structure,delay,etc.passivereviewmayleaveaslittleaslessthanapercentof
recall.However,readingbooksforthesakeoflearningEnglishisnotjustpassivereview.Eachtimeyou
encounteraproblematicword,theneedforcomprehensionwillautomaticallytriggeranactive
recognitiontestinwhichthestimulusisthewordinquestionandtheresponseisitssemanticassociation.
Thisisactiverecall
Puttingthingsinthesameplaceisagoodidea
(mnemonique,Jul07,2002)

Question:
Somememorytipwebsitesrecommendthatwealwaysputthingsinthesameplace.Thiswaywenever
forgetwheretheyare.Ithoughtthatweshoulddojusttheopposite.Shouldwenottrainourmemoryas
opposedtomakingthingseasy?
Answer:
Lifeisaprocessofperpetuallearning.Ifyouputthingsalwaysinthesameplace,youwilleconomize
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moretimeforlearningmoreusefulthings.Youwillneverrunoutofthematerialfortrainingyour
memory.ItseemsfarmoreusefultomemorizewithSuperMemothegeographyofSouthEastAsiathan
tospendtimeonakeyhunt
(LisaArcella,Women'sWorldmagazine,Jan26,2001)
Question:
Whattechniquescanyouusetoremembersomeone'snameafteryoumeetthem?Forexample,somesort
ofwordassociationiftheperson'snameisSmith,associatingablacksmithwiththemmighthelp.Ifyou
couldgivemetwoorthreetipsforourreadersthatwouldbereallyhelpful
Answer:
AssociatingSmithwithblacksmithandprovidingamentalimageofSmithhammeringhiscolleaguesat
workislikelytoleaveastrongmemoryimprint(themoregruesomeorshockingtheassociation,the
betteritworks).Thesolutionsrangefromlowtechandlessefficienttohightechand"memoryleak
proof":
mnemonictechniquesthisishowtheproblemofforgettingusedtobesolvedforcenturies
spacedrepetitionthisisthemethodthateliminatesforgettinginthemostefficientway(with
efficiencylimitedonlybyinherentpropertiesofhumanmemory)
Mnemonictechniques:TheSmithblacksmithapproachfallsintothecategoryofmnemonictechniques,
whichusethepowerofthevisualcortexofthebraintorepresentmemoriesthathumansarepoorat
remembering(e.g.complexnumbers).Weeasilyrememberimagesandcanoftenrecognizefacesafter
verylongintervalswithoutrepetitioninthemeantime.However,anintelligentpersonwilloftenfindit
difficulttorecallsevenconsecutivedigitspresentedoneafteranother.Humansareinherentlypoorat
numbers!Withmnemonictraining,thesamepersonmayquicklyarriveatrememberingsequencesof50
digits,cards,orobjects.TheGuinnessRecorddrivesthistounimaginableheights(thousandsofdigitsor
playingcards)farsurpassingwhatweneedinourdailylives.Oneofthemostusefultechniques,for
rememberingnumbers(e.g.phonenumbers)isthesocalledpeglist.Ifyoumemorize100socalledpegs
thatassociatenumberswithpictures(e.g.oneistree,twoisaswitch,threeisatripod,etc.),youwill
quicklylearnto"see"numbersas"scenes".Forexample,911mightbeacat("cathasninelives")
stretchedbetweentwotrees(assumingtreeisone).Memorizing100pegsisasubstantialeffortandnot
manywillwanttoundertakeit.However,rememberinga10digitnumbercanthenbereducedto
rememberinga5eventsequence(e.g.mygrandmotherischasingthepostmanwhohidesinamanhole
andiseatenbyagiantrat).Suchmemoriestendtobemanifoldeasiertoretain.Ifyouneedtoremember
morethan30numbers,theinvestmentinmemorizingthepeglistwillpayback.Beyond50(e.g.your
personalphonebook),peglistisapuresaving.
Spacedrepetition:Theabovemnemonicapproachconverts"difficultmemories"to"easymemories"
andisasubjectofmanybooksandselfimprovementtapesworldwide.However,thereisasubstantial
flaw."Easiermemories"arealsosubjecttoforgetting!Theytendtobelostataslowerpacebuttheydo
getlostintheend.Forgettingalsoaffectsthepeglistifitisnotrehearsedoftenenough.Inotherwords,
wecannotrememberwithoutareview/repetition.Spacedrepetitioncanrationalizeandsimplifythe
reviewofstudymaterial,andensurenearlyperfectrecall.Thismaynotbeaseasytopresenttoyour
readersastheSmithblacksmithassociation,however.Themajordrawbacksofspacedrepetitionare:
foraqualityapplication,youneedacomputerandsoftwarecalledSuperMemo(fromSuper
Memory)alsoavailableasfreeware
fortopqualityuseofSuperMemo(callit"powerSuperMemo"),anumberofskillsareneeded,
whichareconsidered"complex"bynontechnicalpeople(see:Devouringknowledge)
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HerbertSimonguessontheexpertmemorypowerreflectshisgenius
(DawidC.Poland,Aug14,2003)

Question:
NobelPrizewinnerHerbertSimonclaimsthatittakes100,000to2million"memorypatterns"tomake
anexpert.HowdoesitsquarewithyourestimationsbasedonSuperMemo?
Answer:
Simon'sestimateissurprisinglyaccurateconsideringthefactthathedidnotuseanymathematical
formulasforestimatingtheforgettingrate.Hestartedoffwithaveryroughestimationoftimeneededto
establishasinglememorypatternandusedhis"10yearsofhardwork"prescriptionforanexpert.
However,thenumber100,000isprobablyclosertotherealmemorypowerofanexpert.Anything
beyondthatwillhitthewallofknowledgemanagementthatcanonlybeovercomewithtoolslike
SuperMemo
Polyphasicsleepcanhurtyourlearning
(MariuszZmuda,Poland,March22,2000)

Question:
Isittruethatitisbettertogetshortersleepinthenightandthentakeafewnapsduringtheday?
Answer:
Thisapproachisnotlikelytobenefityourhealthorlearning.Mostofall,youshouldnotartificially
shortenthenightsleep!Asforthenaps,inhealthyadultsthereisonlyonemajortroughinalertness
duringthedayatsiestatime.Takingmorethanonenapisnotlikelytobeneeded.Expertsoninsomnia
argueagainstnapsasthesemaykeeppeopleupatnight.Ifyournaplastsonly545minutesanddoesnot
affectyourabilitytofallasleepinthenight,itwillhelpyoustaymorealertintheeveninghours.See:
ThecruelmythofpolyphasicsleepandGoodsleepforgoodlearning
Poormemoryisusuallyaselfimposedlimitation
(darrana.,Australia,Mon,Aug27,200110:47PM)

Question:
Iwastestedsomeyearsbackformymemory,Ialwayshadproblemslearningatschool,theytoldmeI
hadageneticshorttermmemoryloss,possiblyinheritedfrommyfather,mychildrenshowsomeofthe
samesignsthatIhave
Answer:
Pleaseconsultanotherspecialist!Geneticfactorsaffectingshorttermmemoryarequiteunlikely.In
addition,itisthelongtermmemorythatmakesyousucceedinlife,whileshorttermmemorycanbe
honedeasilywithmnemonictraining.Hopefully,SuperMemoshouldhelpyoufigureoutthatyour
abilitiesarenotmuchdifferentfromothers,andthatyourfuturerestsinyourhands(andyourbrain).
Dozensofpeopleclaimtheyhavepoormemoryonlytofindout,inmeasurement,thattheydonotdiffer
muchfromothers(exceptperhapsforsometrainablemnemonicskills).Amongthoseaboveforty,the
claimsofpoormemoryareepidemic
Spacingeffectresultsfromreducedpotentialforincreasingsynapticstrength
(MarkG.Patterson,Tuesday,September25,20013:25AM)

Question:
WhyisthetermSpacingEffectusedwithnegativeconnotationsatsupermemo.com?SpacingEffect
referstothebeneficialeffectsofspacedrepetition(whichIprefertocallspacedrecallsinceactiverecall,
notmererepetitionorreview,iskey)
Answer:
Forgettingandthespacingeffectarebeneficialfromtheevolutionarypointofviewasthesebothevolved
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topreventmemoryoverload.However,inthecontextoflearning,bothphenomenaneedtobestruggled
againstbythestudent.Spacingeffectmaybeinterpretedas"shorterintervalsharderlearning"oras
"longerintervalseasierlearning".Inotherwordsthismightbeaglasshalfemptycase.However,once
weunderstandthemolecularoriginsofthespacingeffect,wequicklycometoseeitasamechanism
directedagainstremembering.Inthesameway,oncewetrytofillaglasswithwater,wewillcallithalf
fullinthemiddleoftheway.Spacedrepetitioniseffectiveexactlybecauseitgoesaroundthespacing
effect,i.e.aroundthereducedabilitytoreinforcememoriesathighlevelsofretrievability
Automaticitydoesnotcorrelatewiththeprobabilityofforgetting
(TerjeA.Tonsberg,Tuesday,July08,20038:51PM)

Question:
Howhighlycorrelatedislowlatencyinansweringaquestion(highautomaticity)totheprobabilityof
forgetting?
Answer:
Thereisnocorrelationbetweenautomaticityandtheprobabilityofforgettingintheperiodthatfollows
themeasurement.Intheterminologyofthetwovariablesoflongtermmemory,automaticityis
correlatedwithretrievability,whileprobabilityofforgettinginagivenperiod(assumingthesame
knownretrievability)iscorrelatedwithmemorystability(alsoconfusinglycalledmemorystrength).In
simpleterms,ifyouremembersomethingverywell,youdonotknowhowfastyouarelikelytoforgetit.
Itdependsonthehistoryofpreviousexposure.Forexample,inSuperMemo,theautomaticityofrecallis
similarafterthefifthandafterthetenthrepetition.However,memoriesbuiltintenrepetitionsarelikely
tolastfarlonger.Perhapsevenalifetime.Mathematicallyspeaking,retrievabilityR(t)correspondswith
theprobabilityofretrievalofamemorytraceatthetimet.Probabilityofforgettinginthetimedwill
thenbeR(t)R(t+d).However,RisthefunctionofmemorystabilityS:R=e(t/S).Hencewehavethe
probabilityofforgettingasP(t,d)=e(t/S)e((t+d)/S).Predictably,thestrongerthestability,theless
forgettingyouwillsee.Thestartingpointretrievabilityisnotincludedintheequation,becauseitisthe
steepnessoftheforgettingcurve,notthestartingpoint,thatdeterminesthespeedofforgetting.
Itisworthnoting,thatwithbiasedstatisticalsampling,itmightbepossibletoerroneouslyprovethefalse
hypothesisofthenegativecorrelationbetweenautomaticityandprobabilityofforgetting.Thiscomes
fromthefactthatverylowretrievabilitywillalwaysproduceverylowprobabilityofforgettingnearly
independentofmemorystability(atthebottomoftheforgettingcurve).Nowonderthen,thatin
"traditionallearning"(i.e.notbasedonspacedrepetition),wherebothretentionandstabilityaremuch
lower,itiseasytofalselyassumethatifyouknowsomethingwell,youwillrememberitfarlongerthan
ifyoushowrecallproblems
Mixingdeclarativeandprocedurallearningmaybegoodforyou
(Robyn,Tuesday,April26,20059:11AM)

Question:
Hasaninterferenceeffectbeennotedbetweendeclarativeandprocedurallearning?IfIimmediately
followaSpanishlessonwithamartialartslesson,willconsolidationofeitherbeadverselyeffected?
Answer:
Declarativeandprocedurallearningaregovernedbydifferentbraincircuitsandeventheirconsolidation
insleepseemstobeseparatedintime.Forthatreason,interferencebetweenbothishighlyunlikely.At
thesametime,therecouldbepositivetrophicfeedbackbetweenthetwo(i.e.learninginonecircuitmay
havesomepositiveeffectonanother).Inotherwords,mixingSpanishandmartialartsmightbeavery
goodstrategyforenhancedlearning.Asfortheoptimumsequence,itisverydifficulttodetermine.If
yourmartialartstrainingisveryintense,itmightbetterfollowSpanishduetopossiblephysical
exhaustion.Ontheotherhand,ifitismodestlystimulating,itcouldequallywellbeexecutedbefore.You
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couldalsosplityourSpanishintotwoportionsandexecutepartofitbeforeandpartofitafterthe
training.Thatcouldpreventtheoverloadeffect(mentaltiringinprolongedlearning).Yourbeststrategy
fordeterminingthelearningsequencewouldprobablybetotrywhatseemstoworkbestforyou
Agesoldtechniquesarestillvalid
(J.Tomlison,Mar04,2002)

Question:
Doyourecommendtechniquessuchaspositiveattitude,visualization,concentration,etc.
Answer:
Yes.Positiveattitudeworksinallwalksoflife.Visualizationmakesthingseasiertoremember.
Concentrationisvitalforencodingmemories(thesharperthelaserlight,thebettertheetch).Those
thingsarealllistedinSuperMemoDecalog
Yourownpersonalizedpeglistwouldworkbest
(kaylapartridge,Thursday,October07,20045:28PM)

Question:
Iwastryingtosearchforapredonepegwordssetformemorizingnumbers.Icouldnotfinditin
SuperMemoLibrary
Answer:
Ifyouwanttomemorizenumbers,e.g.phonenumbers,apeglistfrom0to100ispriceless.However,
nothingworksbetterthanyourownpeglist.Forexample,ifyouwerebornin1976,youcouldassociate
76withyourself.That'sfareasierthanassociatingthepegwithJimmyCarterwhowaselectedin1976.
Chooseyourownuniquepictorialsforallpegsandthenlearnhowtobuildfunnyscenesoftwodigit
combinations
Question:
IhaveheardthatbaroquemusicisthebestforimprovingmemoryparticularlyBachandVivaldi.Doesit
alsoworkinassociationwithSuperMemo?
Answer:
Theclaimthatanyparticularkindofmusicisbestformemoryisunlikelytobetrue.Indeed,musiccan
havepowerfulimpactonouremotionsand,consequently,onremembering.Ithasbeenfoundthatitis
similarineffectstocaffeine.However,astudythatmeasuresimpactofaparticularkindofmusicon
recallinagroupofpeoplecanbecomparedtotryingtofindtheoptimumsizeofashoeforanaverage
citizen.Dependingonthemusicaleducationofanindividual,thesamekindofmusicmaybringavariety
ofemotionfromrelaxation,throughagitationtoaggression.WhileFourSeasonsmayhaveapositive
impactonthemindofmajorityofthepopulation,thebestbetwouldbethateveryoneshouldstickwith
themusicheorshelikes.Beitpunkorfunk.Thetruthisthatallthatisgoodforthemindandhealthis
goodforremembering.
Whydosynapsesgetweakerduringsleep?
(J.,Jan30,2008,18:13:11)

Question:
NYThasreportedonaresearch(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/science/29obslee.html)thatsleep
weakensthesynapticstrength.Atthesametime,synapticstrengthincreasesduringwaking.Thisseems
togoagainstyourownfindingsthatyoupublishedonyourwebsitethatindicatethatduringthedayone's
abilitytorecallfactsseemstobewaning(http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleepresearch2007.htm)
Answer:
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Thereisnocontradictionbetweenthefactthatsynapsesgetstrengthenedduringwakingandtheabilityto
recallthingsdropsatthesametime.
Firstweneedtodifferentiatebetween:
1. shorttermincreaseinsynapticconductivitythatisaresultoflearning,and
2. theabilitytorecalllongtermmemories(astheyaretestedduringlearningwithSuperMemo,
whichwasusedtoproducethedata).
Secondly,weneedtolookatthemostlikelyexplanationfortheweakeningrecallduringwaking.The
mostcoherent,attractiveandbestsupportedhypothesissaysthattheoverloadofshorttermlow
interferencenetworksisresponsibleforadecliningcapacityofmemoryduringawakingday.This
declinecripplestheworkingmemory,andinconsequence,itaffectstheentirespectrumofhuman
cognitivecapabilities.Themainfunctionofsleepwouldthenbetoredistribute,reconsolidateand
optimizethoseshorttermmemoriesthatslowdownfurtherlearning.
Toputitmetaphorically,thebrainislikeacomputerthatkeepsloadingchunksofdatatoitsmemory
duringtheday.Asthememoryfillsup,thecomputerslowsdown,andallapplicationscrawlintoahalt.
However,ifyoutestindividualmemorycells,youwillnoticethattheystronglyclingtotheirnewdata.
Inthenight,thecomputerwillgraduallyorganizethechunksofdata,removediscrepanciesand
duplicates,writedownmemoriestotheharddisk,andrunadefragmentationprocessforeasyandfast
access.
Boththeincreaseinsynapticconductivityinwakefulness,andthedeclineoflearningcapacityduringthe
dayarewelldocumented.
Asforthedeclineinsynapticstrengthsduringsleep,italsofitswellwiththepresentmodelsofsleepand
learning.Oneofthemainfunctionsofsleepshouldbetooptimizethememorystorage.Thisentails
representingmemoriesinmostefficientway,i.e.sothattheyaremostabstract,consumeleastspace,
generateminimuminterference,andsoon.Thatprocessshouldindeedresultinreducingtheoverallcost
ofmemories,andresultinweakeningofredundantsynapticconnections.
Thereisnopointwhenyoucansaythatagivenpieceofinformationisrememberedforever
(LawrenceA.MacDonald,USA,Feb16,1999)
Question:
Fromyourexperience,andIknowitisdifferentwithdifferentpeople,howmanyrepetitions(howfarout
onthescaleinthefuture)doesoneneedtomaketohavemasteredininformation,andwhatisthe
standarddeviationforthatnumber?
Answer:
Thereisnopointwhenyoucansaythematerialisrememberedforever!Evenafter20yearsof
repetitionsthereisaslightriskofforgetting.Ifyouwanttoalwaysrememberapieceofinformationwith
adefineddegreeofprobability,youshouldcontinuerepetitionsindefinitely.
Wedonottakeanofficialstandonmemoryenhancingdrugsandadvisecautionandconsulting
yourphysician
(VitUsela,CzechRepublic,Nov2,1999)
Question:
Whatdoyouthinkofsocalledmemoryenhancingsmartdrugs:Piracetamum,GABA,Vinpocetin,
Takrin,Diapid,Vasopressin,Fipexid,Deprenyl,Hydergin,etc.?
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Answer:
Wedonottakeanofficialstandonmemoryenhancingdrugs.Pleaseconsultothersources.Notethe
followingthough:
1. Forgettinghasanimportantbiologicalfunctionandallattemptstopreventitbynonselective
meansarelikelytoresultininformationconfusiondescribedinsomeclinicalcasestudiesin
psychiatry
2. Someofthedrugslistedplayanimportantphysiologicalfunctionandmaybeofvalueinlearning
forreasonsotherthanmemoryenhancement.Inthiscontextyoucouldalwaysbestconsultyour
physician
3. Simplehealthboostingfactorssuchasexercise,healthydiet,sufficientamountofsleepandstress
managementarelikelytobringmorebenefittoyourlearningthatalllisteddrugstakentogether
Memory"overflow"isnot"fatal"
(ChrisHouser,Japan,Sun,Feb06,200012:13)

Question:
OnesomewebsiterelatedtoSuperMemoIfoundthatwithoutforgetting"thebrainwouldfillup...with
...fatalresults".Thissoundsquitesilly.Doesresearchsupportthis?
Answer:
No.Thisstatementisunfortunate.WeareunabletocontrolallwhatisbeingwrittenaboutSuperMemo.
Thecorrectedstatementmightbe:Forgettingisneededtocleanuproomfornewmemoriesinthelimited
spaceofthehumanbrain.Forexample,neocorticalrepresentationscannotbereconstructedbythe
hippocampusduetothelimitedsizeofitsnetworkhencetheconstantflowofmemories.Thereportsof
patientconfusionincasesofreducedforgettingaresporadicanddifficulttoverify.Genetically
engineeredmicethatexhibitreducedforgettingratehaveactuallybeenshowntooutsmartnormalmice
intaskssuchasnavigatingamaze
WhataretheyoungestusersofSuperMemo?
(anonymous,Germany,Jan21,2013)
Question:
WhatisyourpositiononteachingatoddlerwithSuperMemo?Whatistheearliestageofkidswhostart
SuperMemosuccessfully?Willthealgorithmworkintheyoungbrainaswellasinanadult?Couldthere
besomesideeffects?
Answer:
Theoretically,thereisnoagelimitforSuperMemo,however,theskillsneededtoefficientlyusethe
programdevelopslowlyoverthefirst1015yearsoflife.Mostofthekids,belowtheageof10canonly
useSuperMemowithparentalsupervisionandhelp,unlesstheyuseasimplereadymadecollection,e.g.
forlearningaforeignlanguagevocabulary.Thealgorithmforspacingrepetitionswillbelessefficient
inthefirstyearsoflifeduetoarapidgrowthandtherewiringofthehippocampusandother
structuresinvolvedinmemory.Thisneuralgrowthisalmostcertainlyresponsibleforchildhood
amnesiaandmaylastafewyears.Inmostcases,kidscannotrecallepisodicmemoriesfrombelowthe
ageof3.However,thisdoesnotinvalidatetherepetitionspacingalgorithm.Itonlymakesitpretty
inefficient.Spacedrepetitionwillworkuptoapointwhenmemorybecomesinaccessibleduetothe
interferencecausedbynetworkgrowthornewknowledgethatstreamsintotheyoungbrainatthespeed
oflight.Ourknowledgeofspacedrepetitioninkidsislimitedduetothelackofresearchandevenlackof
anecdotalevidence.Uptothispoint(Jan2013),wehavenotreceivedanyreportsoftheuseof
SuperMemoinkidsatanextremelyyoungage.
Themainsideeffectthatyoumightexperienceisthepossibilityofdiscouragingthekid.Withany
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degreeofcoercionormonotony,thekidmaygrowtodislikeSuperMemoorlearningingeneral.The
litmustest,asalways,shouldbesmiles,enthusiasmandthefunoflearning.Withoutit,youwouldreally
dobetterwithoutSuperMemobyjustfollowingkid'snaturallearninginstincts.Ifthekidpreferstostack
bricksinsteadoflearningJapanesewords,bricksshouldgetthepriority.Theyoungbrainisprogrammed
toseeknovelty.SuperMemo,bydefinition,isadestroyerofnoveltyandgoesagainstatoddler'snatural
instinct.However,itisconceivablethatyoumightinstillsomepassionbyinterleavingitemswithsome
YouTubesongs,homevideos,pictures,etc.Mostofall,youneedtoshowtheenthusiasmyourself,praise
thetiniestsignofprogress,andberestrainedincriticismandcomplaints.Youcanprogramthe
proportionoftopicstoitems,youcanmanuallychooseprioritiesandintervals,etc.Inessence,your
assessmentsmightactasabettersubstituteforSuperMemoalgorithmswiththeprogramplaying
essentiallytheroleoftheknowledgebaseandknowledgemanager.
Remembertochoosetherightmaterialforlearning.Yourchoiceofitemsshouldbepragmatic.
Memorizingcapitalsofcountriesistotallyabstractandnottoousefultoaveryyoungchild.Bodyparts,
foods,andthenamesofdailyactivitiesarefarmorepertinent.Theyoungbrainisexposedtonew
knowledgeallthetime.Thismeansthatitkeepslearningevenifyoudonottrytoohard.SuperMemo
couldassistyouinbreakingthroughsomebottlenecksthatmakedailylifedifficult,however,natural
learningisbasedonextractingpatternsfromtheenvironmentandisdefinitelymorevaluablethanthe
readymadeservingsfromSuperMemo.IfyourkidslikeSuperMemoandyouendupusingit,please
remembertoreportbacksothatthistheoreticalFAQcouldbeupdatedwithreallifeexperience.

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