On Dec 6, 3:16 pm, Oisín <[email protected]> wrote:
> My intuition is that it's pretty short - maybe only a few weeks. If all
> other things are equal (i.e. test subjects spend exactly the same length of
> time per day either using an SRS in cramming mode, or in spaced repetition
> mode),

The problem I've had with spending the same amount of time with SRS
(as cramming) is that I had to add too much new material. If I start
with 20 new cards, as soon as I score each "good" they aren't due
until tomorrow. I can add more new cards, that leads to even more
overload of newly created memories.

I think confidence plays a role in the larger picture. You may be
right that starting with a lot of new material (to stay busy) will
eventually lead to enough failures, retries, etc. that an individual
will spend as much time on SRS as they would cramming. But, I like to
review new material more frequently and gain stronger (immediate)
associations. Without that, if I get too much new material, it feels
bewildering. I feel like there's only so much new stuff I can learn at
once. If it's interlaced with some things I know, it creates a more
positive environment.

You mentioned the desire to see conclusive research proving either
position. I wonder if anyone has determined whether the "forgetting
curve" goes to sub-day spacing. It sounds like Ebbinghaus worked in
units of days and that's just the unit of measurement which has
developed with SRS. I'm sure the brain begins to distance itself from
information within minutes. I doubt there's anything magic about the
"1 day" boundary. (Except for sleeping, when the brain processes
things.). I know if I witness an accident, I'm more likely to remember
key details in the first few minutes compared to later that evening.



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