I recently read [1]: "There are three ways in which information may be learned or committed to memory: by rote, assimilation, or use of a mnemonic device.
By Rote. Material to be learned is repeated [...] It seems to be the least efficient way of remembering.
By Assimilation. Information is learned by assimilation when the structure or substance of the information fits into some memory schema already possessed by the learner. The new information is assimilated to or linked to the existing schema and can be retrieved readily by first accessing the existing schema and then reconstructing the new information. Assimilation involves learning by comprehension and is, therefore, a desirable method, but it can only be used to learn information that is somehow related to our previous experience.
By Using A Mnemonic Device. A mnemonic device is any means of organizing or encoding information for the purpose of making it easier to remember. [...] Any form of processing information in this manner is a more effective aid to retention than rote repetition.
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Is this information (from 1980) outdated? Is "spaced repetition" a newer idea? Is it more effective than assimilation or mnemonic device?
SRS is not really an alternate, SRS is a scheduling of study. You still use your mnemonic devices and attempt assimilation, or even memorize by rote. But SRS spaces out the practice of these things to try to attain optimal recall.
If you are using rote, like studying a language's vocabulary, you may have 1000 vocabulary cards that you study over a few weeks or months. SRS will have you practice reviews based on your ability to answer the cards. If I see "cabeza" and think "cabbage", clearly I don't know the word and I mark it as bad. I'll review it the next day. If I get it correct ("head") then the next review will be, approximately, double the time between the previous two reviews (rough progression then of 1 day, 2 days, 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, ...).
If I'm trying to study by assimilation (true comprehension), the cards may be more complex or harder. Translate a full sentence (from or to Spanish). Practice a math problem (some tools in Anki let these be generated automatically so you practice the techniques and don't just memorize some answers). It may even be a prompt rather than an explicit Q&A card.
If I'm using a mnemonic device ("The Cab in New Mexico Is Land Cruiser" for the tarsal bones), I may have a card that has "tarsal bones" and on the back has the mnemonic. I may have the mnemonic and the question "T?". I may have the full list of the mnemonic and the bones on the card with parts covered over. It's still using a mnemonic, but, back to SRS, SRS just schedules my practice of it based on my ability to recall in the review session.
By Rote. Material to be learned is repeated [...] It seems to be the least efficient way of remembering.
By Assimilation. Information is learned by assimilation when the structure or substance of the information fits into some memory schema already possessed by the learner. The new information is assimilated to or linked to the existing schema and can be retrieved readily by first accessing the existing schema and then reconstructing the new information. Assimilation involves learning by comprehension and is, therefore, a desirable method, but it can only be used to learn information that is somehow related to our previous experience.
By Using A Mnemonic Device. A mnemonic device is any means of organizing or encoding information for the purpose of making it easier to remember. [...] Any form of processing information in this manner is a more effective aid to retention than rote repetition. "
Is this information (from 1980) outdated? Is "spaced repetition" a newer idea? Is it more effective than assimilation or mnemonic device?
[1] https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intellig...