{"id":52264,"date":"2003-06-14T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2003-06-14T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.supermemo.com?p=52264"},"modified":"2022-11-02T11:23:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T11:23:23","slug":"building-memory-stability-through-rehearsal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supermemo.com\/en\/blog\/building-memory-stability-through-rehearsal","title":{"rendered":"Building memory stability through rehearsal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr Piotr A. Wozniak, SuperMemo R&D, SuperMemo World, Poznan, Poland Dr Edward J. Gorzelanczyk, Assistant Professor, University of Bydgoszcz, Poland Dr Janusz A. Murakowski, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware, USA; Spring 2005<\/p>\n\n

This article is a popularized rewrite of a paper “The two-component model of long-term memory. Symbolic formula describing the increase in memory stability for varying levels of recall” <\/em>presented at Cybernetic Modelling of Biological Systems<\/em>. A particular emphasis is placed on highlighting the role of SuperMemo in collecting data that helped refine the two-component model of long-term memory. The article also adds some practical conclusions that might affect learning strategies among users of SuperMemo<\/p>\n\n

1. S\/R Model of memory<\/h2>\n\n

10 years ago we published a paper that delineated a distinction between the two components of long-term memory: stability <\/strong>and retrievability <\/strong>(Wozniak, Gorzelanczyk, Murakowski, 1995). The paper provided the first outline of the so-called S\/R Model <\/strong>that makes it easier to build molecular models of long-term memory. Until now, the stability-retrievability distinction has not made a major impact on research in the field. Here we re-emphasize the importance of the S\/R Model and sum up the findings of the last decade that refine the S\/R Model and highlight its importance in the deconvolution of seemingly contradictory research in the field of memory and learning. <\/p>\n\n

2. Why do we need two variables to describe long-term memory?<\/h2>\n\n

In the literature on memory and learning, we often encounter an ill-defined term: strength of memory<\/em> (or strength of synaptic connections). However, if we look at how information is assimilated by the human mind, we notice that there must be at least two independent variables that could stand for the strength of memory. On one hand, after a review of a learned piece of knowledge, we remember things well. We may say that “after a review, memory is strong”. On the other hand, after years of keeping a piece of information in memory, we say that “memory of the fact is strong” even though, at times, we may hesitate while trying to recall the fact. In the two said cases, we speak of two different phenomena that are both labeled as memory strength. Disentangling the two is vital if we are to avoid contradictory findings in memory research. We proposed two distinct names for the two components of long-term memory (Wozniak, Gorzelanczyk, Murakowski, 1995):<\/p>\n\n