Protect Your Short-Term Memory by Avoiding the “fluency” Trap
If you have ever forgotten something right after you learned it, you probably experienced “fluency.” With this simple trick, you can counteract short-term memory loss and avoid any negative consequences.
Henry Rödiger and Mark McDaniel, psychologists at the University of Washington and co-authors of Do It: The Science of Successful Learning , explain that something called “fluency” can get in the way of your mind when you try to remember what you see. Basically, this is the feeling that occurs when you read something and skim quickly, because you automatically assume that it will be easy to remember. Business Insider’s Drake Baer gives an example:
Let’s say, for example, that you are at an airport and you are trying to remember which gate is where you have a flight to Chicago. You look at the terminal monitors – it’s B44. You think to yourself, B44, it’s simple . Then you leave, idly check your phone, and instantly forget where you are going.
To avoid the trap of fluency in this situation, you should read the gate number, turn away from the monitor, and ask yourself, “What is the gate number?” Now you will either remember the number, or you will realize that you looked at it and never remembered it. The same can happen with the study of people’s names. They can enter one ear and exit the other if you are not careful. You may not always be able to prevent fluency, but you can avoid its negative consequences if you know about it.
4 Strategies for Memorizing Everything You Learn | Business Insider