Hermann Ebbinghaus’s work on memory

Question

Good afternoon Everyone., Despite many accomplishments of Ebbinghaus and his studies there were two prominent positions on memory that continues to be discussed today. Ebbinghaus conducted an experiment in the late nineteenth century that analyzed the curve of forgetting (forgetting curve), and mental associations related to retrieval (i.e., learning and memory). He was the first to temp his hand at finding the shape of forgetting using a mathematical equation. According to Murre & Dros (2015), Ebbinghaus’s forgetting equation is as follows; “Q (t ) = 1.84 / ((log t )1.25+ 1.84)” (p. 15). This not only illustrates the birth of psychology into the scientific community but also marks its acceptance. The above only serves as an illustration of Ebbinghaus’s equation for forgetting; we will not be going into detail. Interestingly enough, Ebbinghaus used himself (i.e., single-subject design), and that may have sparked some debate from his colleagues in the science arena; I digress. In the same article published by Murre & Dros (2015), they highlighted methods of examining most facets of memory, and discussed in detail the materials used to conduct the experiment, that is, “nonsense syllables that consisted of 3 or 4 lowercase letters” (p. 4). How important is sense-perception as it relates to memory and forgetting? How easily is information retained and or reproduced? According to Ebbinghaus (2013), there are two interesting points to be made, that is, the “intensity of the attention and interest which were attached to the mental state” (p, 155). Simply, put things are easier retained and recalled if encoded with high interest and or attention given during encoding experiences. Side-point. Is this why people who suffer from post-traumatic stress have a challenging time in their recovery process? Reliving the event as if it were happening over and over again. Ebbinghaus classical experiment may have single-handedly addressed inadequacies of retainability and the process of retrieval. The importance and the impact he had can even be seen today within the field of psychology. Note. Even after his death in 1909 his experimentation continued to leave its mark on this particular field of study. Memory what a fascinating thing. Articles below for easy reference; thank you for reading. Reference Ebbinghaus, H. (2013). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology. Annals of Neurosciences, 20(4), 155-156. Murre, J. M. J., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and analysis of Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve. PloS One, 10(7), 1-23. Replication_and_Analysis_of_Eb.pdf Download Replication_and_Analysis_of_Eb.pdf ContentServer.asp 6.pdf Download ContentServer.asp 6.pdf Good afternoon Everyone., Despite many accomplishments of Ebbinghaus and his studies there were two prominent positions on memory that continues to be discussed today. Ebbinghaus conducted an experiment in the late nineteenth century that analyzed the curve of forgetting (forgetting curve), and mental associations related to retrieval (i.e., learning and memory). He was the first to temp his hand at finding the shape of forgetting using a mathematical equation. According to Murre & Dros (2015), Ebbinghaus’s forgetting equation is as follows; “Q (t ) = 1.84 / ((log t )1.25+ 1.84)” (p. 15). This not only illustrates the birth of psychology into the scientific community but also marks its acceptance. The above only serves as an illustration of Ebbinghaus’s equation for forgetting; we will not be going into detail. Interestingly enough, Ebbinghaus used himself (i.e., single-subject design), and that may have sparked some debate from his colleagues in the science arena; I digress. In the same article published by Murre & Dros (2015), they highlighted methods of examining most facets of memory, and discussed in detail the materials used to conduct the experiment, that is, “nonsense syllables that consisted of 3 or 4 lowercase letters” (p. 4). How important is sense-perception as it relates to memory and forgetting? How easily is information retained and or reproduced? According to Ebbinghaus (2013), there are two interesting points to be made, that is, the “intensity of the attention and interest which were attached to the mental state” (p, 155). Simply, put things are easier retained and recalled if encoded with high interest and or attention given during encoding experiences. Side-point. Is this why people who suffer from post-traumatic stress have a challenging time in their recovery process? Reliving the event as if it were happening over and over again. Ebbinghaus classical experiment may have single-handedly addressed inadequacies of retainability and the process of retrieval. The importance and the impact he had can even be seen today within the field of psychology. Note. Even after his death in 1909 his experimentation continued to leave its mark on this particular field of study. Memory what a fascinating thing. Articles below for easy reference; thank you for reading. Reference Ebbinghaus, H. (2013). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology. Annals of Neurosciences, 20(4), 155-156. Murre, J. M. J., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and analysis of Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve. PloS One, 10(7), 1-23. Replication_and_Analysis_of_Eb.pdf Download Replication_and_Analysis_of_Eb.pdf ContentServer.asp 6.pdf Download ContentServer.asp 6.pdf