The magic of a break. For a short time put your work aside and do something else. At least while struggling with verbal learning tasks, such breaks should be helpful and improve your memory. The “spacing effect” as it is called in memory literature, refers to the fact that spatial learning (with temporal lags between the learning session) results in greater retention accuracy and less forgetting compared to massed learning (no lags). There are many different theories why “spatial learning” works. Maybe it works because that the cues which are present in the different learning session variate (a different environment, a different mood) and improve learning. And/or it is just this cycle between forgetting (in the lags) and recall (during the session) which strength the memory. Whatever it is: does it work for any type of learning? Most experiments focus on verbal learning. For motor learning the studies show variating results. Melody Wiseheart (great name by the way) and colleagues analysed if there is a spacing effect while learning to play the piano. They asked students with varying music education to perform two tasks: One focuses on the “translation” from music sheets to the right finger movement on the piano keyboard, the other on the auditory feedback to reproduce a certain melody with right volume and rhythm. Interestingly, massed learning and spatial learning strategy showed both the same learning performance in both tests. Maybe the time lags (max 15min) were to short. But at least it shows, that the spacing effect may vary with the learning task. “Lack of spacing effects during piano learning”
Wiseheart M, D’Souza AA, Chae J (2017) PLoS ONE 12(8): e0182986.
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