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The forgetting curve hypothesizes the decline of memory retention in time. This curve shows how
information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.[1] A related concept is the strength of
memory that refers to the durability that memory traces in the brain. The stronger the memory, the longer
period of time that a person is able to recall it. A typical graph of the forgetting curve purports to show that
humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they
consciously review the learned material.

The forgetting curve supports one of the seven kinds of

memory failures: transience, which is the process of forgetting
that occurs with the passage of time.[2]

Contents

History

Increasing rate of learning

Equations

See also
A representation of the forgetting curve
Notes showing retained information halving after each
day
References

History

From 1880 to 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus ran a limited,

incomplete study on himself and published his
hypothesis in 1885 as Über das Gedächtnis (later
translated into English as Memory: A Contribution to
Experimental Psychology).[3] Ebbinghaus studied the
memorisation of nonsense syllables, such as "WID" and
"ZOF" (CVCs or Consonant–Vowel–Consonant) by
repeatedly testing himself after various time periods and
recording the results. He plotted these results on a The forgetting curve, with original data from
graph creating what is now known as the "forgetting Ebbinghaus
curve".[3] Ebbinghaus investigated the rate of forgetting,
but not the effect of spaced repetition on the increase in retrievability of memories.[4]

Ebbinghaus's publication also included an equation to approximate his forgetting curve:[5]

Here, represents 'Savings' expressed as a percentage, and represents time in minutes, counting from
one minute before end of learning. The constants c and k are 1.25 and 1.84 respectively. Savings is defined
as the relative amount of time saved on the second learning trial as a result of having had the first. A
savings of 100% would indicate that all items were still known from the first trial. A 75% savings would mean
that relearning missed items required 25% as long as the original learning session (to learn all items).
'Savings' is thus, analogous to retention rate.

In 2015, an attempt to replicate the forgetting curve with one study subject has shown the experimental
results similar to Ebbinghaus' original data.[6]

Ebbinghaus' experiment has significantly contributed to experimental psychology. He was the first to carry
out a series of well-designed experiments on the subject of forgetting, and he was one of the first to choose
artificial stimuli in the research of experimental psychology. Since his introduction of nonsense syllables, a
large number of experiments in experimental psychology has been based on highly controlled artificial
stimuli.[6]

Increasing rate of learning

Hermann Ebbinghaus hypothesized that the speed of forgetting depends on a number of factors such as
the difficulty of the learned material (e.g. how meaningful it is), its representation and other physiological
factors such as stress and sleep. He further hypothesized that the basal forgetting rate differs little
between individuals. He concluded that the difference in performance can be explained by mnemonic
representation skills.

He went on to hypothesize that basic training in mnemonic techniques can help overcome those differences
in part. He asserted that the best methods for increasing the strength of memory are:

1. better memory representation (e.g. with mnemonic techniques)

2. repetition based on active recall (especially spaced repetition).

His premise was that each repetition in learning increases the

optimum interval before the next repetition is needed (for near-
perfect retention, initial repetitions may need to be made within
days, but later they can be made after years). He discovered that
information is easier to recall when it's built upon things you already
know, and the forgetting curve was flattened by every repetition. It
appeared that by applying frequent training in learning, the
information was solidified by repeated recalling.

Later research also suggested that, other than the two factors
Forgetting Curve with Spaced Repetition
Ebbinghaus proposed, higher original learning would also produce
slower forgetting. The more information was originally learned, the slower the forgetting rate would be.[7]

Spending time each day to remember information will greatly decrease the effects of the forgetting curve.
Some learning consultants claim reviewing material in the first 24 hours after learning information is the
optimum time to actively recall the content and reset the forgetting curve.[8] Evidence suggests waiting 10–
20% of the time towards when the information will be needed is the optimum time for a single review.[9]

Some memories remain free from the detrimental effects of interference and do not necessarily follow the
typical forgetting curve as various noise and outside factors influence what information would be
remembered.[10] There is debate among supporters of the hypothesis about the shape of the curve for
events and facts that are more significant to the subject.[11] Some supporters, for example, suggest that
memories of shocking events such as the Kennedy Assassination or 9/11 are vividly imprinted in memory
(flashbulb memory).[12] Others have compared contemporaneous written recollections with recollections
recorded years later, and found considerable variations as the subject's memory incorporates after-
acquired information.[13] There is considerable research in this area as it relates to eyewitness identification
testimony, and eyewitness accounts are found demonstrably unreliable.[13]

Equations

Many equations have since been proposed to approximate forgetting, perhaps the simplest being an
exponential curve described by the equation[14]

where is retrievability (a measure of how easy it is to retrieve a piece of information from memory), is
stability of memory (determines how fast falls over time in the absence of training, testing or other
recall), and is time.

Simple equations such as this one were not found to provide a good fit to the available data.[15]

See also

Atrophy – Partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body

Learning curve – Relationship between proficiency and experience

Overlearning – Practicing newly acquired skills beyond the point of initial mastery

Spaced repetition – Learning technique performed with flashcards

Notes

1. ^ Curve of Forgetting | Counselling Services 9. ^ Pashler, Harold; Rohrer, Doug; Cepeda, Nicholas J.;
Carpenter, Shana K. (2007-04-01). "Enhancing
2. ^ Schacter, D. L. (2009). Psychology . New York:
learning and retarding forgetting: Choices and
Worth Publishers. p. 243 . ISBN 978-1-4292-3719-
consequences" . Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
2.
14 (2): 187–193. doi:10.3758/BF03194050 .
3. ^ a b Ebbinghaus, Hermann (1913). Memory: A ISSN 1069-9384 . PMID 17694899 .
Contribution to Experimental Psychology .
10. ^ Averell, Lee; Heathcote, Andrew (2011). "The form
Translated by Ruger, Henry; Bussenius, Clara. New
of the forgetting curve and the fate of memories".
York city, Teachers college, Columbia university.
Journal of Mathematical Psychology. 55: 25–35.
4. ^ Wozniak, Piotr (22 November 2017). "Did doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2010.08.009 .
Ebbinghaus invent spaced repetition?" . hdl:1959.13/931260 .
www.supermemo.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
11. ^ Forgetting Curve | Training Industry
5. ^ Ebbinghaus (1913), p. 77
12. ^ Paradis, C. M.; Florer, F.; Solomon, L. Z.;
6. ^ a b Murre, Jaap M. J.; Dros, Joeri (2015). Thompson, T. (August 1, 2004). "Flashbulb Memories
"Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus' Forgetting of Personal Events of 9/11 and the Day after for a
Curve" . PLOS ONE. 10 (7): e0120644. Sample of New York City Residents". Psychological
Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1020644M . Reports. 95 (1): 309. doi:10.2466/pr0.95.1.304-
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120644 . 310 . PMID 15460385 . S2CID 46013520 .
PMC 4492928 . PMID 26148023 .
13. ^ a b "Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on
7. ^ Loftus, Geoffrey R. (1985). "Evaluating forgetting Eyewitness Accounts" . Scientific American.
curves" (PDF). Journal of Experimental doi:10.1038/scientificamericanmind0110-68 .
Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 11
14. ^ Woźniak, Piotr A.; Gorzelańczyk, Edward J.;
(2): 397–406. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.603.9808 .
Murakowski, Janusz A. (1995). "Two components of
doi:10.1037/0278-7393.11.2.397 . Archived (PDF)
long-term memory" (PDF). Acta Neurobiologiae
from the original on 2006-09-10.
Experimentalis. 55 (4): 301–305. PMID 8713361 .
8. ^ Curve of Forgetting | Counselling Services Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-09-20.

15. ^ Rubin, David C.; Hinton, Sean; Wenzel, Amy

(1999). "The precise time course of retention".
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning,
Memory, and Cognition. 25 (5): 1161–1176.
doi:10.1037/0278-7393.25.5.1161 .
hdl:10161/10146 .

References

"Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology -- Ebbinghaus (1885/1913)" . Retrieved 2007-08-

23.

Schacter, Daniel L (2001). The seven sins of memory: how the mind forgets and remembers . Boston:
Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-21919-3.

Baddeley, Alan D. (1999). Essentials of human memory . Hove: Psychology. ISBN 978-0-86377-544-4.

Bremer, Rod. The Manual – A guide to the Ultimate Study Method (USM) (Amazon Digital Services).

Loftus, Geoffrey R. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition11. 2 (Apr 1985):
397–406.

http://www.trainingindustry.com/wiki/entries/forgetting-curve.aspx

Averell, Lee; Heathcote, Andrew (February 2011). "The form of the forgetting curve and the fate of
memories". Journal of Mathematical Psychology. 55 (1): 25–35. doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2010.08.009 .
hdl:1959.13/931260 .

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-the-eyes-have-it/

https://qz.com/1213768/the-forgetting-curve-explains-why-humans-struggle-to-memorize/

https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/what-is-the-forgetting-curve/

Last edited on 30 December 2023, at 10:56

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