Do we immediately forget information after it has been taught?
The first academic reference to retrieval practice is by Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist (1850 – 1909) who pioneered an experimental study of memory, most known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect.
Before Ebbinghaus, the “study of learning was restricted to philosophy” (Polk, 2018) and not necessarily the human mind. Until the late 19th century, most “scientists and philosophers assumed that learning could not be studied scientifically.”
However, this changed in 1885 when Ebbinghaus published his book, Über das Gedächtnis (About memory).
The field of neuroscience was born! To this day, his seminal research still influences our work. Inspired by Ebbinghaus, Mary E. Abbott was one of the first to publish in 1909.
