WOMAN: The simplest way to explain our research is with respect to a very common technique that students use, namely flashcards. So the basic idea being that you use that cue on the front to try to retrieve the target information, or the definition, from memory, and then, of course, you flip the card over to check to see if what you've remembered is the right answer. Most students will report using their flashcards, going through the stack until they get an item right once. But then the question is, after you get an item right once, what should you do with it? Well most students say, well, I take it out of the stack and I stop studying it. Our research suggests that that's a mistake, that actually it is time well spent keeping items in the stack of flash cards until you've gotten an answer-- until you've correctly recalled an answer from memory at least three times. After that, there appears to be pretty rapidly diminishing benefit of going beyond three, but at least up to three. It's worth your time.
Another question is, well, how many other days should you pick that stack back up? There again, our research right now is suggesting that the answer is at least three more times. So, after your initial study session with a stack of flash cards, yeah, you should-- it's worth your time to pick that stack back up and practice again at least three more days after that first one, and ideally separated by at least a few days each time.