Forgetting

By the psychological counsellor Shireen Al-Bayari. How do you resist forgetting? Forgetting is a problem many pupils suffer from, and we often hear the phrase pupils repeat: "I studied a great deal but in the exam I forgot the answer." Have those pupils tried to identify the causes behind this forgetting, or how to achieve the best methods of study so as to protect themselves from forgetting? Here are some pieces of advice so that a pupil may avoid falling into this problem: 1. Do not study when you are exhausted, for tiredness does not help fix information, and every period you spend studying while exhausted is wasted time, as well as being harmful, because what is studied quickly falls from its place and it is not easy to find it and recall it in the exam. 2. Many pupils move between study subjects without order, memorising without taking breaks between one subject and another, and so the information becomes mixed and distorted and it is not easy to recall it properly. 3. Repeating the material to be memorised, with revision at varying intervals, helps fix the information, and this repetition is the greatest resistance to forgetting. 4. A disturbed psychological state while studying drives forgetting, so always try to rid yourself of your problems as they arise so that you are settled while memorising. 5. Concentration and attention are among the basic factors in resisting forgetting. 6. Using various methods of memorising that help link information in a particular way in the mind, since these usually make it easier to recall and remember the information. 7. Abandonment and neglect are the basis of forgetting and of a weak memory. Experiments on forgetting: many psychologists have taken an interest in studying the phenomenon of forgetting, particularly with regard to pupils, and systematic experiments have been conducted on thousands, after noticing the importance of dividing study material into two categories: 1. Mechanical study material: such as handicrafts, using tools and machines, learning the typewriter, drawing, anatomy, needlework and so on. It has been found that these mechanical tasks are the most stable and are not easily forgotten, particularly if the pupil relies on a great deal of practice during the study period until he reaches the level of mastering them. In this case he is able to reach this level of mastery easily and after a little practice, even if he has left it for a period. 2. Theoretical study material: this includes various divisions, from numerical figures to names of persons, general laws, theories and so on. It has been found that forgetting in these theoretical subjects begins with the names of persons or well-known figures, then with the names of tangible things, then with adjectives, then with verbs. The first experiment, on reading and memorising: this experiment was conducted on a group of pupils who try to memorise their lessons without reciting, and the results were: 1. Immediately after studying, the pupil remembers 55% of what he read. 2. After a day, the pupil remembers 30% of what he read. 3. After a week, the pupil remembers 20% of what he read. 4. After two weeks, the pupil remembers 15% of what he read. 5. After a month, the pupil remembers 10% of what he read. 6. The memory retains the remaining proportion, 10%, for a long period, though it decreases slowly. By contrast, pupils who use the method of reciting after memorising are able to remember 60% of what they memorised, and by weekly revision they regain full recall of what they memorised until the exam period. The second experiment: on economy in the time needed for memorising and recall. This experiment showed that what has been memorised and then forgotten can be regained and recalled anew with economy of time. For example, if one of the laws or some foreign-language words needed repeating, it is enough, in order to recall them completely, to repeat them only five times, that is the rate of economy is 15 to 20, that is 75% of the time. The longer the interval between the first and second revision, the less the economy of time. Below are the results of one experiment: 1. After a day the rate of economy is 68.9%. 2. After two days the rate of economy is 60.9%. 3. After 6 days the rate of economy is 49.3%. 4. After 14 days the rate of economy is 41.3%. 5. After 20 days the rate of economy is 37.8%. From this the importance of revision at regular, close intervals is clear, so that the economy of time is great. Rules of forgetting: after the preceding study we can summarise for you in simple terms the main laws of forgetting reached by researchers and psychologists, which are: 1. Forgetting is inversely proportional to the repetition of memorising, that is the more the material is repeated at intervals, the less the forgetting. Strong attention together with an interest in the subject of the lesson helps speed of memorising and weakens forgetting. 2. Forgetting is rapid as a result of study material becoming mixed because study is not organised. 3. Revision after memorising is the basis of fixing information and the greatest resistance to forgetting. 4. Forgetting increases as a result of disturbance in the physical state, particularly digestion and lack of sleep, and likewise disturbance in the psychological state. 5. What is memorised for the first time disappears into a gap of forgetting extending from one to three days according to individual differences, after which it can be recalled. 6. What has been memorised and forgotten can be regained in a short time by revision, and this is what is called the law of economy of time. Likewise forgetting increases with the square root of the time that passes after memorising and acquisition. Rules of remembering: • Weak pupils try to remember the whole book instead of remembering how the ideas are linked to one another. • Remembering facts by linking them to what you have studied before makes memorising easy and more lasting. • Do not try to memorise instead of understanding, because what is memorised is quickly forgotten and its value is weak; likewise do not try to be content with understanding without memorising and revising. • Scientific subjects and languages require, in many of their topics, a great deal of memorising and repetition. • When trying to memorise, do so in short, separated periods. • Memorise the material in the way you think you will use it. • Do not focus your attention on artificial methods of memorising. How to develop a strong memory for yourself: First: your attention to the explanation and full understanding of the lesson, while making the links between its parts, and that is through overall reading. Second: freeing yourself and trusting your mind, and repeating this overall reading once and twice, and this does not consume wasted time as some imagine. Third: discussion with classmates in free time is of great value in helping the mind to remember fully. Fourth: reciting in a different way and quick revision from time to time. Fifth: training in the power of observation, and the capacity to observe can be developed by getting used to watching things with an active, inquiring mind. In fact the strong development of habits of observation is far more important than attempts at memorising in their various forms. Certainty in destiny does not stop the wise person from guarding against ruin, and no one can see into the hidden dawn; rather he should take the means. And do not carry into today the worry of tomorrow, for sufficient for each day is its own concern.