Desirable Difficulties
CPD: Cognitive Science Level 1, topic 2.1.2
Performance vs Learning
Prof. Robert Bjork's research led him to conclude that high performance is not the same as learning.
A trade-off
- Tasks that are easy to complete during initial practice are usually not well remembered in the future.
- Information that requires more effort to understand, may lead to a bad initial performance but is often more likely to be remembered.
The difference between performance & learning
- Performance is an observable metric e.g. a test result
- Learning is something that should be inferred over a longer period of time.
- Performance is often not a good way of measuring learning.
Cramming
- Cramming can lead to rapid improvement in performance but it is often short-lived and can have little impact on learning.
- It may bring short-term benefits, but is unlikely to result in long-term retention.
Desirable Difficulties
Adding desirable difficulties during instruction may lead to a lower initial performance, but can be beneficial to long-term learning.
Climbing a mountain
- As Efrat Furst says:
- "Learning by testing is like choosing to climb the higher peak: It takes more will, effort and sweat but what you gain, you will not forget".
Introducing desirable difficulties
- Spacing study times.
- Interleaving practice.
- Intermittent feedback.
- Frequent low-stake quizzes.
- Variable contexts and examples.
"Desirable"
- Bjork highlights that not all difficulties are desirable.
- The desirable ones generate memory processes that enhance learning.
- Students need to be able to overcome the difficulties.
- If they are not, these difficulties are not boosting learning and become undesirable.
Test yourself on Desirable Difficulties
What can be said about performance and learning?
Which of these tasks will probably lead to good performance but not great learning?
What can be said about desirable difficulties?
What researcher created the term "desirable difficulties"?