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Learning by repetition impairs recall of details, study shows

Date:
June 23, 2014
Source:
University of California - Irvine
Summary:
While repetition enhances the factual content of memories, it can reduce the amount of detail stored with those memories, neurobiologists report following a recent study. This means that with repeated recall, nuanced aspects may fade away.
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When learning, practice doesn't always make perfect.

UC Irvine neurobiologists Zachariah Reagh and Michael Yassa have found that while repetition enhances the factual content of memories, it can reduce the amount of detail stored with those memories. This means that with repeated recall, nuanced aspects may fade away.

In the study, which appears this month in Learning & Memory, student participants were asked to look at pictures either once or three times. They were then tested on their memories of those images. The researchers found that multiple views increased factual recall but actually hindered subjects' ability to reject similar "imposter" pictures. This suggests that the details of those memories may have been shaken loose by repetition.

This discovery supports Reagh's and Yassa's Competitive Trace Theory -- published last year in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience -- which posits that the details of a memory become more subjective the more they're recalled and can compete with bits of other similar memories. The scientists hypothesize that this may even lead to false memories, akin to a brain version of the telephone game.

Yassa, an assistant professor of neurobiology & behavior, said that these findings do not discredit the practice of repetitive learning. However, he noted, pure repetition alone has limitations. For a more enriching and lasting learning experience through which nuance and detail are readily recalled, other mnemonic techniques should be used to complement repetition.


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Materials provided by University of California - Irvine. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Z. M. Reagh, M. A. Yassa. Repetition strengthens target recognition but impairs similar lure discrimination: evidence for trace competition. Learning & Memory, 2014; 21 (7): 342 DOI: 10.1101/lm.034546.114

Cite This Page:

University of California - Irvine. "Learning by repetition impairs recall of details, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 June 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623142021.htm>.
University of California - Irvine. (2014, June 23). Learning by repetition impairs recall of details, study shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623142021.htm
University of California - Irvine. "Learning by repetition impairs recall of details, study shows." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623142021.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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