\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Forgetting, which is defined as an inability to remember something, occurs daily. We forget a variety of things such as where we parked our cars, what our old and new cellphone numbers are, who Paul Walker was, the color of our parents\u2019 cars and when assignments are due. Forgetting is a common occurrence and we have invented numerous methods to help us remember important information. However, writing down information does not always help, especially in circumstances like interviews or exams where we have to rely on our memory. When you try to remember an event that is filed in your memory, and you can\u2019t remember, it seems like it has disappeared or was never there to begin with. Despite this feeling, the information is stored in long-term memory, but at that time you cannot access it. Most students can relate to this experience, because sometime after an exam we immediately remember the answer to a certain question\u2014sometimes just a second after submitting the examination paper. Instead of relying on written information, we can increase the probability of remembering stored material by engaging in challenging learning practices, such as self-quizzes.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Getting information into memory involves three processes: we encode information, store it and then retrieve it. Encoding information involves being aware of sensory stimuli and converting them to a usable form. This process can be likened to computer programming, where you enter a lot of meaningless zeros for example, and then modify the code until something sensible like an image is created. Once the material is encoded, it is stored, and transferred to long-term memory, where we become unaware of it. After sometime, we retrieve the information by bringing stored material into consciousness, while we search and find stored events. Engaging in challenging learning practices, more than just regurgitating information, improves the ability to recall information later. Taking self-generated quizzes challenges us when we encode information, a phenomenon known as desirable difficulties. An analogy of desirable difficulties can be adjusting camera settings to get a clear image. It takes effort and a lot of time to focus until you get the accurate settings, and the same goes for accurate encoding, which increases the chance of successful retrieval later.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Retrieval practice (such as quizzing yourself) is an example of desirable difficulties that increase long-term performance. In order to know if you are ready for an exam, it is important to have a way of assessing how much you know and what to focus on as you study. During retrieval practice, information is encoded and re-encoded resulting in strong retrieval cues, defined as clues that trigger retrieval of information from long-term memory. While retrieval practice increases long-term performance, divided attention (allocating attention to multiple tasks at once) lowers performance. Because attention is a limited resource, allocating it to more than one task will lead to a difficulty in encoding. With loosely encoded information, stored information cannot be retrieved well, and performance suffers.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 To recap, practicing retrieval is an example of a desirable difficulty that improves retention, leading to higher long-term performance. On the other hand, divided attention is a distraction that leads to lower short-term and long-term performance, especially during the initial stages of learning. However, according to previous research, divided attention does not significantly affect performance during later stages of learning. Since information has already been fully encoded, dividing attention at this stage does not affect performance that much. Because there is an extra effort required to concentrate, some people argue that divided attention can be a form of a desirable difficulty during later stages of learning, such as Gaspen, Ruthruff and Pashler (2013).<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Gaspen et al. (2013), studied the effects of divided attention during retrieval practice at a later stage of the learning process to examine whether divided attention is a form of a desirable difficulty. Participants learned Swahili-English word pairs (e.g., utando-film) in the first phase. During the second phase, some participants re-studied the word pairs without any form of distraction, while the other half divided their attention and practiced retrieval as they focused on certain musical tones. This is analogous to trying to quiz yourself while learning the lyrics to Miley Cyrus\u2019 \u00a0\u201cWrecking Ball.\u201d To assess performance, participants were asked to give the English word when given a Swahili word from the list they had previously learned (e.g. utando-?) during a test under full attention. Results from the test taken immediately after learning show that performance was higher for the participants who restudied word pairs. These results are in line with desirable difficulties theories, which state that performance under the retrieval practice condition should only increases in the long-term. When tested after two days, performance was still lower in the practice retrieval-divided attention condition when compared to participants in the restudy-full attention condition. The results show that divided attention is not a desirable difficulty but a distraction.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Overall, we can see that memory processes are complex and take a lot of effort. Even when the material has been learned well, dividing attention by studying and going on Facebook or tweeting at the same time leads to poor performance. This might explain why distractions such as music, television, and internet are not allowed in examination rooms.<\/p>\n