Why Immediate Repetition Is Good for Short-Time Learning Results but Bad For Long-Time Learning: Explanation Based on Decision Theory

Authors

Laxman Bokati, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Julio Urenda, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Olga Kosheleva, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

1-2020

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-20-01

Abstract

It is well known that repetition enhances learning; the question is: when is a good time for this repetition? Several experiments have shown that immediate repetition of the topic leads to better performance on the resulting test than a repetition after some time. Recent experiments showed, however, that while immediate repetition leads to better results on the test, it leads to much worse performance in the long term, i.e., several years after the material have been studied. In this paper, we use decision theory to provide a possible explanation for this unexpected phenomenon.