By Among the great contributions that psychology has made, the forgetting curve and the favorable impact of spaced repetition stand out. Learn more about the researcher who was in charge of these.
At a time when psychology was still not separated from philosophy, Hermann Ebbinghaus, along with other researchers, challenged the notion that mental processes could not be studied experimentally. At this time, debate and disputes were very strong on this subject.
Against all odds and criticism, this German intellectual analysed memory using the experimental technique of positivist sciences. He used the quantitative method to study forgetting and made great contributions to the history and development of psychology. Let’s learn more about him.
Life and career of Hermann Ebbinghaus
Herman Ebbinghaus was born on 24 January 1850 in Barmen, Rhineland Prussia . He belonged to a family of Lutheran merchants. In 1867, at the age of 17, he entered the University of Bonn and later moved to Berlin and Halle. Initially interested in history and philology, he later changed his major and began studying philosophy.
The Franco-Prussian War interrupted his academic activities. He consequently joined the ranks of the Prussian army, where he served until 1871. Later, he returned to Bonn to complete his philosophical studies. On 16 August 1873, Ebbinghaus graduated with his doctorate with a thesis on the philosophy of the unconscious.
From 1873 to 1880 he worked and studied as a tutor at universities in England and France. He also taught at the University of Berlin, where he served as a private professor until 1894. From that year until 1905 he was a lecturer at the University of Breslau and taught at Halle.
Ebbinghaus founded psychology laboratories at the universities of Berlin and Breslau. By 1890, he co-founded and edited the Zeitschrift fur Psychologie und Physiologie der Sinnesorgane ( Journal of the Psychology and Physiology of the Sense Organs ). He was the father of the renowned neo-Kantian philosopher Julius Ebbinghaus.
Development of the intelligence test
According to an article in the Journal of Psychology , in 1893 Ebbinghaus was not considered for the third chair of philosophy at the University of Berlin. This fact precipitated his departure from the university. Consequently, on April 19, 1894, he took up a chair at the University of Breslau.
During this new period, he continued his incessant scientific activity. That is why, in 1895, the high authorities of the educational sector in Breslau asked him to investigate the academic performance of some children. With this objective, he developed the combinations methode, the first intelligence test for children.
This test, also known as the gap test, consisted of presenting a series of incomplete sentences. Then, the children were asked to fill in the blanks. In this way, it assessed memory and comprehension.
Hermann Ebbinghaus and the experimental study of memory
The first attempts to empirically study memory and forgetting were made by Ebbinghaus. Using himself as an object of study, he memorized nonsense syllables composed of three letters: two consonants and a vowel (POB, VAS, WIZ, etc.).
As he analyzed his progress and how easy it was to relearn nonsense syllables after a long period since initial memorization, he noticed that the forgetting was systematic, as illustrated by Robert Feldman in the following image.
This graph, explains Feldman (2010), reflects the following: ” The most rapid forgetting occurs in the first nine hours, especially in the first hour. After nine hours, the rate of forgetting slows and declines little, even after several days have passed.”
Although Ebbinghaus’s methods were very basic, his investigations had an enormous impact on research into the theory of memory and forgetting.
Thanks to this, it is known that initial memory decreases as time passes if the information is not reviewed. However, it can be relearned easily compared to learning or memorizing a new topic.
Hermann Ebbinghaus’s contributions to psychology
Throughout his life, this German philosopher became an important thinker and researcher for psychology and for some of its objects of study. Below we list several of his essential contributions:
- Learning curve: This shows that the learning rate is higher at first, but then declines and stabilizes as time goes by.
- Spaced repetition : Ebbinghaus demonstrated that spreading out the days of study, review or memorization improves long-term retention. This is also known as the spacing effect.
- Forgetting curve : is the process in which information is quickly forgotten in the first few minutes or days after learning, then stabilizes and progresses at a constant level.
- Savings method: This is useful for calculating how long it takes a person to learn something again. In this way, it is possible to measure the impact or strength of memory by comparing their performance the first time with the second time.
- Scientific study of memory: Ebbinghaus opened a path of research that continues today. In modern life, neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists and other professionals continue to analyze this incredible cognitive process.
- Ebbinghaus Illusion: Reflects how the perception of size varies depending on the surrounding context. When a central circle has larger circles around it, it usually appears small. Whereas, when it is surrounded by smaller circles, it appears larger.
Works by Hermann Ebbinghaus
Ebbinghaus’s fame was not only due to his experiments, but also to his books, with which he contributed to the growth of psychology as a scientific discipline. Among his most renowned works are the following:
- Die Grundzüge der Psychologie (1881): in Spanish we would know it as Fundamentals of Psychology. Here different topics are analyzed such as learning, perception, memory, attention , sensation, emotion, etc. It was a relevant work for the development of psychology as a science.
- About Memory: Investigations into Experimental Psychology (1885): literally translated into Spanish it would be On Memory: Investigations into Experimental Psychology. In this, the author presents the results of his research on memory and forgetting.
- Outline of Psychology (1908): its possible translation into Spanish would be Outline of Psychology. It is a book in which the author makes an entertaining general introduction to psychology. His explanations are concise and he does not go into much depth in the concepts he sets forth.
Death
By 1905, Ebbinghaus returned to Halles to give a lecture. He continued to produce knowledge and work on his Grundzüge. In addition, in 1907, he wrote his contribution “Psychology” for the collection Kultur der Gegenwart, ihre Entwicklung und ihre Ziele.
This contribution appears expanded and deepened as Abriss der Psychologie , in 1908. He also begins a series of monographs called Psychologie in Einzeldarstellungen.
Amidst all this activity, Hermann Ebbinghaus died on 26 February 1909. He was 59 years old and died of pneumonia. He was buried in the St. Laurentius community cemetery.
A crucial philosopher in the history of psychology
Ebbinghaus is an essential researcher in the history of psychology. His pioneering work in the experimental study of memory and other cognitive processes is a milestone.
Today, psychologists remember him for the development of the forgetting curve, spaced repetition, and the illusion that bears his name. His discoveries still echo in cognitive science.