Unlock the secrets of memory retention with the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. Explore its implications for educators and learn strategies to improve learning.
Benjamin, Z (2023, October 30). Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/ebbinghaus-forgetting-curve
The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve is a fundamental concept in the psychology of memory, developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century. It provides a visual representation of how quickly information fades from our memory over time if it is not actively reinforced.
The curve illustrates that memory retention drops sharply within the first few hours after learning—often dramatically so. This decline is not linear; instead, it follows an exponential pattern, with rapid initial forgetting that eventually slows down over subsequent days. This phenomenon underscores the critical role of timely review and reinforcement to counteract the natural forgetting process.
For educators, understanding the dynamics of this curve is key to designing effective teaching strategies that help students retain information more effectively. By recognizing when memory loss is most pronounced, teachers can implement timely interventions—such as spaced repetition and active recall—that maximize retention and deepen learning.
In this article, we will explore the theoretical foundations of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, discuss how it can be practically applied in educational contexts, and offer strategies to help combat forgetting in the classroom.
Key Insights:
The forgetting curve shows that we forget the majority of new information soon after it is initially learnt. Ebbinghaus defined forgetting as an ability to recall information in the absence of any cues.
Our ability to recognise new information does not follow the same pattern; being presented with cues or multiple-choice options increases the accuracy of our memory.
While the curve describes a general trend to forget new information when there is no attempt to retain it, there will be individual variations in the shape of the curve.
New information that is of significant value, is related to a major event, or offers a surprising contradiction to previously learnt material, is less likely to be forgotten at such a rapid rate.
Time has the greatest impact on the decline of memory; memory retention over time is very poor in the absence of any attempt to retain the new information. The total amount of information that is forgotten increases with time, but the majority of this happens soon after learning has occurred.
The quality of learning also has a significant impact on whether the new material will be resistant to the steep decline in memory observed by Ebbinghaus. Information that is fully understood or deeply processed is likely to be forgotten less quickly.
Similarly, if the new information is of personal significance or has a practical application, it is more likely to be remembered well, partly because the person is more motivated to encode it effectively into their long-term memory.
When new information is similar or related to prior learning, it can impact the decline in memory in both directions.
Retention increases if new knowledge is assimilated into a pre-existing schema of related information in the long-term memory because the prior learning offers an abundance of cues for the new information.
However, when information is similar but unrelated to something that has been previously learnt it can increase the decline in memory for the new information (proactive interference) or the previously learnt information (retroactive interference).
Both types of interference can be seen when learning a new foreign language; words from a previously learnt foreign language may be forgotten when the new language is learnt (retroactive) or it can be more difficult to learn new vocabulary if it is too similar to the previously learnt vocabulary.
There will be individual differences in memory strength, even for nonsense syllables (three-letter ‘words’ that have no meaning). Some of the reasons for this variation include:
The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve describes the decline in memory when there is no attempt to retain the new information. Any strategy that is designed to increase retention will challenge the decline in memory and flatten the forgetting curve.
Repeated Retrieval Practice
The most effective way to challenge the forgetting curve is through repeated retrieval practice. The first attempt to retrieve the new information should be soon after it was originally learnt, with subsequent retrievals becoming increasingly spread out over longer time periods (spaced repetition).
Each successful retrieval increases the number of cues associated with the information, which flattens the forgetting curve and makes it possible to extend the length of time between future retrievals.
Techniques to Improve Memory
Developing techniques to improve memory will reduce the rate of forgetting, even in the absence of any further attempts to retain the new information.
Mnemonic devices focus on encoding new information in a way that will make it easier to retrieve it in the future. Using acronyms can be very successful when it is necessary to learn the order of a list of words:
Never eat shredded wheat: the clockwise order of the compass points (North, East, South, West).
Richard of York gave battle in vain: the order of colours in a rainbow.
Another popular technique is creating a memory palace. This involves developing a mental image of a real or imaginary location, often a house or palace, that has vivid and distinct locations throughout it.
When trying to memorise a list of words, images, or facts, each one is associated with one of the locations in a vivid or meaningful way. Visualising the memory palace then acts as a prompt to remember the new material.
Memory Prompts During Learning
Having an awareness of memory prompts and incorporating them into the learning process will make it easier to recall the newly learnt information at a later date and slow down the steep decline in memory.
Linking new information to prior learning is one of the most effective ways to achieve this; incorporating the new material into a pre-existing schema will allow it to benefit from all of the existing memory prompts and cues that are already in place.
Alternatively, consider using physical cues or the environment as a memory prompt. For example, writing key terms in a different colour pen, in capital letters, or in a certain position on a piece of paper can act as a memory prompt during subsequent recall attempts.
It can also help to learn new material in the same, or similar, environment to where it will need to be recalled; revising in an exam hall in silence would be more effective than revising in a bedroom with music.
Understanding how students forget can allow teachers to make changes to their practice to challenge the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve and increase their students’ memory retention. The following approaches are recommended to teachers in response to Ebbinghaus’ research:
1. Regular Retrieval Practice
Repeated exposure to information strengthens memory retention and flattens the forgetting curve. Asking students to retrieve information forces them to revisit the information, even if they recall it incorrectly, due to the corrective feedback that they receive.
The first retrieval practice should be soon after the new material has been learnt, preferably the following day or in the next lesson. The period of time between each subsequent retrieval should be longer than the previous one. Using spaced intervals are also recommended in Rosenshine’s principles of instruction:
It is better to interleave two or more topics together during retrieval practice; this allows the material to be revisited more often and spaced practice to be spread out over time.
2. Review Schemes of Work
Schemes of work should be reviewed to ensure they include regular opportunities for spaced retrieval practice and that topics are arranged by increasing level of difficulty to build on prior learning.
Curriculum plans should be designed to promote mastery by using scaffolding and dividing complex information into smaller and more manageable chunks.
By reducing the volume of new material that students need to learn in each part of the lesson, they are more likely to encode it effectively into their long-term memories.
Lesson plans should make the links to prior learning explicit to students as this will help them assimilate the new information into a pre-existing schema.
It is also helpful to list the keywords and related keywords for each topic as this will help students to reorganise the new information, provide more cues to aid recall, and allow them to make links between related topics.
Promote Metacognition
Encourage students to reflect on what they have learned, but also how they learned it. This will help students to understand which strategies are most effective at improving memory retention.
This is particularly important after a test or assessment, and part of the teacher’s feedback should be focussed on the effectiveness of the revision strategies and processes that the student used.
Being able to accurately recall information gives students a distinct advantage in our current educational system and is a precursor to being able to effectively manipulate and evaluate that information.
Practising active recall strategies and using memory-enhancing techniques as often as possible will challenge the decline in memory that occurs in the absence of retrieval attempts and memory retention strategies.
Active recall requires students to access information from their long-term memory in the absence of any memory cues or prompts.
A brain dump is one of the most simple and effective ways to achieve this. It involves writing down everything the student can remember about a given topic within a specified time frame.
There are no restrictions or demands about what information can be recalled, which means that students will often also benefit from hearing what their peers have been able to recall. Answering practice questions, defining or generating a list of keywords, or completing an assessment are other useful examples of active recall.
Activities that involve passive recall are much less effective at improving memory. These include:
Summarising a page of text or using flashcards can be classified as being either active or passive recall depending on how each task is approached.
Summarising a page of text is a passive recall activity if the page of text is available throughout the task. However, it becomes an active recall activity if the student reads the text, puts it away, and then writes a summary from memory.
The latter approach should be used for answering practice questions; always read the text and hide it before attempting to answer a question about it.
Using flashcards to aid revision by reading the question and then turning over to ‘confirm’ you know what the answer was involves passive recall at best. However, writing down the answer or answering the question out loud before turning over the card to check the answer would be an example of active recall.
Mnemonic techniques are an effective way to boost memory, especially when it is necessary to remember a list of words in order. Students may also benefit from using dual coding to memorise key words or definitions; this involves pairing the new material with a particularly vivid image to make it more memorable.
While the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve has been a foundational concept in understanding how memory retention declines over time, it is important to recognize its limitations. The original research conducted by Hermann Ebbinghaus focused on memorizing nonsensical syllables in a controlled environment, which is far removed from the complexity of real-world learning. Therefore, while the Forgetting Curve provides useful insights into the general pattern of memory loss, several limitations should be acknowledged to apply this theory effectively to different learning contexts. Below, we discuss five potential limitations of Ebbinghaus's theory.
By understanding these limitations, educators can more effectively apply and adapt Ebbinghaus's insights to various learning scenarios, allowing for improved methods to enhance long-term memory retention.
Subsequent research has supported the concept of an exponential forgetting curve and the conclusions that can be drawn from Ebbinghaus’ research to challenge the decline in memory have been shown to effectively improve memory in real-life settings. To learn more about these studies and the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, please use the links below.
The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve is a fundamental concept in the psychology of memory, developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century. It provides a visual representation of how quickly information fades from our memory over time if it is not actively reinforced.
The curve illustrates that memory retention drops sharply within the first few hours after learning—often dramatically so. This decline is not linear; instead, it follows an exponential pattern, with rapid initial forgetting that eventually slows down over subsequent days. This phenomenon underscores the critical role of timely review and reinforcement to counteract the natural forgetting process.
For educators, understanding the dynamics of this curve is key to designing effective teaching strategies that help students retain information more effectively. By recognizing when memory loss is most pronounced, teachers can implement timely interventions—such as spaced repetition and active recall—that maximize retention and deepen learning.
In this article, we will explore the theoretical foundations of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, discuss how it can be practically applied in educational contexts, and offer strategies to help combat forgetting in the classroom.
Key Insights:
The forgetting curve shows that we forget the majority of new information soon after it is initially learnt. Ebbinghaus defined forgetting as an ability to recall information in the absence of any cues.
Our ability to recognise new information does not follow the same pattern; being presented with cues or multiple-choice options increases the accuracy of our memory.
While the curve describes a general trend to forget new information when there is no attempt to retain it, there will be individual variations in the shape of the curve.
New information that is of significant value, is related to a major event, or offers a surprising contradiction to previously learnt material, is less likely to be forgotten at such a rapid rate.
Time has the greatest impact on the decline of memory; memory retention over time is very poor in the absence of any attempt to retain the new information. The total amount of information that is forgotten increases with time, but the majority of this happens soon after learning has occurred.
The quality of learning also has a significant impact on whether the new material will be resistant to the steep decline in memory observed by Ebbinghaus. Information that is fully understood or deeply processed is likely to be forgotten less quickly.
Similarly, if the new information is of personal significance or has a practical application, it is more likely to be remembered well, partly because the person is more motivated to encode it effectively into their long-term memory.
When new information is similar or related to prior learning, it can impact the decline in memory in both directions.
Retention increases if new knowledge is assimilated into a pre-existing schema of related information in the long-term memory because the prior learning offers an abundance of cues for the new information.
However, when information is similar but unrelated to something that has been previously learnt it can increase the decline in memory for the new information (proactive interference) or the previously learnt information (retroactive interference).
Both types of interference can be seen when learning a new foreign language; words from a previously learnt foreign language may be forgotten when the new language is learnt (retroactive) or it can be more difficult to learn new vocabulary if it is too similar to the previously learnt vocabulary.
There will be individual differences in memory strength, even for nonsense syllables (three-letter ‘words’ that have no meaning). Some of the reasons for this variation include:
The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve describes the decline in memory when there is no attempt to retain the new information. Any strategy that is designed to increase retention will challenge the decline in memory and flatten the forgetting curve.
Repeated Retrieval Practice
The most effective way to challenge the forgetting curve is through repeated retrieval practice. The first attempt to retrieve the new information should be soon after it was originally learnt, with subsequent retrievals becoming increasingly spread out over longer time periods (spaced repetition).
Each successful retrieval increases the number of cues associated with the information, which flattens the forgetting curve and makes it possible to extend the length of time between future retrievals.
Techniques to Improve Memory
Developing techniques to improve memory will reduce the rate of forgetting, even in the absence of any further attempts to retain the new information.
Mnemonic devices focus on encoding new information in a way that will make it easier to retrieve it in the future. Using acronyms can be very successful when it is necessary to learn the order of a list of words:
Never eat shredded wheat: the clockwise order of the compass points (North, East, South, West).
Richard of York gave battle in vain: the order of colours in a rainbow.
Another popular technique is creating a memory palace. This involves developing a mental image of a real or imaginary location, often a house or palace, that has vivid and distinct locations throughout it.
When trying to memorise a list of words, images, or facts, each one is associated with one of the locations in a vivid or meaningful way. Visualising the memory palace then acts as a prompt to remember the new material.
Memory Prompts During Learning
Having an awareness of memory prompts and incorporating them into the learning process will make it easier to recall the newly learnt information at a later date and slow down the steep decline in memory.
Linking new information to prior learning is one of the most effective ways to achieve this; incorporating the new material into a pre-existing schema will allow it to benefit from all of the existing memory prompts and cues that are already in place.
Alternatively, consider using physical cues or the environment as a memory prompt. For example, writing key terms in a different colour pen, in capital letters, or in a certain position on a piece of paper can act as a memory prompt during subsequent recall attempts.
It can also help to learn new material in the same, or similar, environment to where it will need to be recalled; revising in an exam hall in silence would be more effective than revising in a bedroom with music.
Understanding how students forget can allow teachers to make changes to their practice to challenge the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve and increase their students’ memory retention. The following approaches are recommended to teachers in response to Ebbinghaus’ research:
1. Regular Retrieval Practice
Repeated exposure to information strengthens memory retention and flattens the forgetting curve. Asking students to retrieve information forces them to revisit the information, even if they recall it incorrectly, due to the corrective feedback that they receive.
The first retrieval practice should be soon after the new material has been learnt, preferably the following day or in the next lesson. The period of time between each subsequent retrieval should be longer than the previous one. Using spaced intervals are also recommended in Rosenshine’s principles of instruction:
It is better to interleave two or more topics together during retrieval practice; this allows the material to be revisited more often and spaced practice to be spread out over time.
2. Review Schemes of Work
Schemes of work should be reviewed to ensure they include regular opportunities for spaced retrieval practice and that topics are arranged by increasing level of difficulty to build on prior learning.
Curriculum plans should be designed to promote mastery by using scaffolding and dividing complex information into smaller and more manageable chunks.
By reducing the volume of new material that students need to learn in each part of the lesson, they are more likely to encode it effectively into their long-term memories.
Lesson plans should make the links to prior learning explicit to students as this will help them assimilate the new information into a pre-existing schema.
It is also helpful to list the keywords and related keywords for each topic as this will help students to reorganise the new information, provide more cues to aid recall, and allow them to make links between related topics.
Promote Metacognition
Encourage students to reflect on what they have learned, but also how they learned it. This will help students to understand which strategies are most effective at improving memory retention.
This is particularly important after a test or assessment, and part of the teacher’s feedback should be focussed on the effectiveness of the revision strategies and processes that the student used.
Being able to accurately recall information gives students a distinct advantage in our current educational system and is a precursor to being able to effectively manipulate and evaluate that information.
Practising active recall strategies and using memory-enhancing techniques as often as possible will challenge the decline in memory that occurs in the absence of retrieval attempts and memory retention strategies.
Active recall requires students to access information from their long-term memory in the absence of any memory cues or prompts.
A brain dump is one of the most simple and effective ways to achieve this. It involves writing down everything the student can remember about a given topic within a specified time frame.
There are no restrictions or demands about what information can be recalled, which means that students will often also benefit from hearing what their peers have been able to recall. Answering practice questions, defining or generating a list of keywords, or completing an assessment are other useful examples of active recall.
Activities that involve passive recall are much less effective at improving memory. These include:
Summarising a page of text or using flashcards can be classified as being either active or passive recall depending on how each task is approached.
Summarising a page of text is a passive recall activity if the page of text is available throughout the task. However, it becomes an active recall activity if the student reads the text, puts it away, and then writes a summary from memory.
The latter approach should be used for answering practice questions; always read the text and hide it before attempting to answer a question about it.
Using flashcards to aid revision by reading the question and then turning over to ‘confirm’ you know what the answer was involves passive recall at best. However, writing down the answer or answering the question out loud before turning over the card to check the answer would be an example of active recall.
Mnemonic techniques are an effective way to boost memory, especially when it is necessary to remember a list of words in order. Students may also benefit from using dual coding to memorise key words or definitions; this involves pairing the new material with a particularly vivid image to make it more memorable.
While the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve has been a foundational concept in understanding how memory retention declines over time, it is important to recognize its limitations. The original research conducted by Hermann Ebbinghaus focused on memorizing nonsensical syllables in a controlled environment, which is far removed from the complexity of real-world learning. Therefore, while the Forgetting Curve provides useful insights into the general pattern of memory loss, several limitations should be acknowledged to apply this theory effectively to different learning contexts. Below, we discuss five potential limitations of Ebbinghaus's theory.
By understanding these limitations, educators can more effectively apply and adapt Ebbinghaus's insights to various learning scenarios, allowing for improved methods to enhance long-term memory retention.
Subsequent research has supported the concept of an exponential forgetting curve and the conclusions that can be drawn from Ebbinghaus’ research to challenge the decline in memory have been shown to effectively improve memory in real-life settings. To learn more about these studies and the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, please use the links below.
