Question

Although he was also known for his work with memory measurements, Ebbinghaus is also accredited with an even more lasting contribution to the study of human memory. Considering his life work, what is this contribution?

a) designing the basic experimental approach to human memory
b) designing a flash card system for memorization
c) dream interpretation as it relates to memory
d) explaining the forgetting and savings graphs

Answer 1

Ebbinghaus's most significant contribution to the study of human memory is the experimental approach he designed for studying memory and the development of the forgetting curve, which shows how information is rapidly lost over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hermann Ebbinghaus is credited with a significant contribution to the study of human memory beyond his work with memory measurements. This lasting contribution pertains to the designing of the experimental approach to studying memory and the formulation of the forgetting curve. Ebbinghaus conducted experiments on himself, memorizing and relearning lists of nonsense syllables, then measuring the retention of this information over different time intervals. His research demonstrated that the retention of memorized information declines quickly over time, with substantial loss occurring in the first 20 minutes and 24 hours following initial learning.

The famous forgetting curve that Ebbinghaus developed illustrates how memory retention decreases over time, indicating that nearly half of new information is forgotten within 20 minutes, while around 70% is lost after one day. These insights are central to understanding the nature of human memory and are considered foundational in cognitive psychology.