Why We Forget What We Study, and How to Stop It

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1. 01Why We Forget What We Study

   Good morning, everyone. Have you ever studied hard for a test, and then forgotten almost everything a week later? I'm a university student in Berlin, and this used to happen to me all the time. Today, I'll explain why we forget, and what we can do about it.

   大家早安。你有沒有過這樣的經歷：為了考試拼命複習，結果一週後幾乎全忘了？我是柏林的一名大學生，以前這種事經常發生在我身上。今天，我來解釋一下我們為什麼會遺忘，以及我們能做些什麼。

2. 02The Problem

   Here's the problem. Many of us study by reading our notes again and again the night before a test. It feels productive, but the information disappears quickly.

   問題在這裡。我們很多人在考試前一晚，一遍又一遍地看筆記來複習。感覺很有效率，但這些資訊很快就消失了。

3. 03The Forgetting Curve

   This isn't a new discovery. In 1885, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus tested his own memory and described what we now call the forgetting curve. He found that we forget new information fastest in the first hours and days after learning it.

   這並不是什麼新發現。1885年，德國心理學家赫爾曼·艾賓浩斯測試了自己的記憶，描述了我們現在所說的遺忘曲線。他發現，我們在學習新資訊後的最初幾個小時和幾天裡，遺忘得最快。

   Source: Hermann Ebbinghaus, "Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology" (1885)

4. 04Why Rereading Doesn't Work

   Rereading makes the page feel familiar, so we think we know it. But recognizing something is not the same as being able to recall it on your own.

   重讀會讓頁面看起來很熟悉，所以我們以為自己已經掌握了。但認出某樣東西，和能夠自己回想起來，並不是一回事。

5. 05Solution 1: Test Yourself

   The first solution is to test yourself. In a 2006 study, Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke found that students who practiced recalling a text remembered more a week later than students who simply studied it again.

   第一個辦法是自我測試。在2006年的一項研究中，亨利·羅迪格和傑弗裡·卡皮克發現，練習回憶文章內容的學生，一週後記住的內容比只是再學一遍的學生更多。

   Source: Roediger & Karpicke, "Test-Enhanced Learning," Psychological Science (2006)

6. 06Solution 2: Space It Out

   The second solution is spacing. Instead of one long session, review the same material for a short time over several days. Each review catches the memory before it fades.

   第二個辦法是間隔複習。不要一次學很長時間，而是在幾天裡，每次花一點時間複習同樣的內容。每一次複習，都能在記憶消失之前把它抓住。

7. 07What I Do Now

   Now I make simple question cards after every class, and I spend about ten minutes a day testing myself. It's less tiring than cramming, and I remember much more.

   現在，我每節課後都會做一些簡單的問題卡片，每天花大約十分鐘自我測試。這比臨時抱佛腳輕鬆，而且我記住的內容多了很多。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, forgetting is natural, but we can fight it. Test yourself instead of rereading, and spread your reviews over time. Try it before your next exam. Thank you.

   最後，遺忘是很自然的，但我們可以對抗它。用自我測試代替重讀，把複習分散到不同的時間。在下次考試前試試看吧。謝謝大家。