Talk:Spaced repetition

I propose to merge Distributed practice into Spaced repetition. These are the same subject, as the first sentence of Distributed practice says: Distributed practice (also known as spaced repetition or spaced practice). The current situation is a content fork. Biogeographist (talk) 00:42, 18 March 2021 (UTC)

I think there is a subtle difference between the two with the current wording/definition, namely the second line of Spaced repetition: "Newly introduced and more difficult flashcards are shown more frequently, while older and less difficult flashcards are shown less frequently in order to exploit the psychological spacing effect.".

This seems to define spaced repetition as repetition *where the length of spacing varies depending on evidence (i.e. whether the person remembers it well)*. The distributed practice page, on the other hand, seems to me to be a broader definition that encompasses *any* length of spacing, not necessarily one that depends on feedback/evidence from the learner.

An example for clarity:

Spaced repetition: If you see a flashcard and didn't remember it, you see it again in 1 day. If you remembered it, then you see it again in 7 days. The second time you see it, if you remember it, you'll see it again 30 days. If you don't, you'll see it again in 3 days.

Distributed practice: If you see a flashcard, you see it again in 3 days. The second time you see it, you'll see it again in 5 days. Whether or not you remembered it is irrelevant.

So I would consider "Distributed practice" to be a superset of "Spaced repetition". Since both pages have a fair amount of content, perhaps it would be more appropriate to edit the lead paragraph of the Distributed practice page for more clarity.

Edasaki (talk) 07:02, 2 November 2021 (UTC)

From my research into learning techniques in sport and academic education spaced repetition as a term is quite infrequent when compared to distributed practice. The spacing between tests, practice, or efforts are most often referred to as spacing and then often reference distributed practice literature. Interleaving is another term that is thrown into this conversation. From my perspective distributed practice is the more widely used term, and spaced repetition is used by a select group of researchers. Another factors to consider is the comparison of practice modalities. Mass practice and deliberate practice are other terms used in the literature which can be associated with distributed practice easier by name. Just some thoughts to consider. DannyHatcher (talk) 19:18, 4 December 2021 (UTC)

Adding to this conversation should be the Spacing effect article which seems to also repeat the same information. I am happy to work on a merge of these articles at the beginning of the new year if there are no objections. DannyHatcher (talk) 19:53, 6 December 2021 (UTC)

Based on the above, I would also support a merge of the articles. I agree that "spaced repetition" is a specific subset of "distributed practice" more generally. Personally, I had only ever come across the term "spaced repetition" before. Bibeyjj (talk) 08:58, 2 January 2022 (UTC)