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MENTAL MODEL · M4118

Spacing Effect

Spacing Effect
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-01

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

First documented systematically by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 1880s and confirmed repeatedly since. The finding is that the same total study time yields better long-term retention when it is spread over multiple sessions than when it is massed into one. The advantage grows with the retention interval, and it works because each spaced encounter forces a harder retrieval and a deeper re-encoding. Spacing is the scheduling counterpart of the testing effect and a core element of the desirable-difficulties framework.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Schedule design: spread sessions across days instead of blocking them into one sitting. - Review timing: place the next review just before the material would be forgotten. - Effort reading: treat the discomfort of hard recall as evidence the method is working, not as a warning sign.

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Anchor fast decisions

Each retrieval after a delay is harder than an immediate one, and that difficulty triggers deeper re-encoding and consolidation. Massed practice feels fluent because the item is still in working memory, so the brain does no extra work and the trace stays shallow. Spacing also lets consolidation proceed between sessions, which is why the same minutes produce a durable trace rather than a temporary one.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacing_effectZH · Explicit
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