The Cognitive Science of Studying: 16 Principles for Faster Learning
Discover how principles like retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and metacognition can help you learn faster and remember longer.
Recent Brain Science articles.
What is Retrieval Practice (& How Can It Help You Learn Faster)?
Learn how retrieval practice trains your brain to lock in knowledge for the long haul and the strategies you can use to stop passively studying and start recalling.
What is Spaced Repetition (& Why Is It Key To All Learning)?
Learn what spaced repetition is, why it matters for memory and learning, and how modern study methods use it to help you remember more with less effort.
What Is Cognitive Load Theory? (& Why Too Much Info At Once Hurts Learning)
Learn what Cognitive Load Theory is, why too much information at once overloads your brain, and how you can negotiate it to minimize the pain of studying (while maximizing retention).
How to Use Social Motivation to Study
Can you use social motivation to improve your learning? Yes! In this article we explain how, as well as why we study harder, perform better, and stay more accountable when others are watching.
What Is Active Recall (& How Can It Help You Pass Your Exams)?
Learn what active recall is, why it beats traditional study methods, and how digital flashcards leverage it to help you learn much faster!
What Is Metacognition (& How Can It Help You Remember Faster)?
Learn what metacognition is, why it’s such a powerful strategy for remembering just about anything, and how digital flashcards are the key to unlocking it.
What Is Confidence-Based Repetition (& Why Does It Make Learning Feel Effortless)?
Discover how confidence-based repetition boosts retention, sharpens metacognition, and makes every study session more efficient.
What is Free Recall (& How Can You Train Your Brain to Remember More)?
Learn what free recall is, why it’s a powerful way to solidify your memory no matter what you’re learning, and the best tools to train your brain to recall more, faster, and longer.
What Is Scaffolding in Education (& How Does It Boost Learning?)
Discover what scaffolding in education means, how it supports students’ learning step-by-step, and what study tools, like digital flashcards, you can use to build mastery.
What Are Variable Rewards (& How Can Unpredictability Boost Your Motivation)?
Learn what variable rewards are, why unpredictability boosts motivation, and how modern study methods use it to help you learn (or teach) more with less effort.
What is Hyperbolic Discounting (& Why Is It Keeping You From Your Goals)?
Learn what hyperbolic discounting is, why it sabotages your long-term goals, and how digital flashcards can help you beat it to meet your learning goals.
What is Generative Processing? How Making Meaning Helps Memory Stick
Learn what generative processing is, why it matters for memory and learning, and how modern study methods use it to help you remember more with less effort.
What Is Bloom’s 2 Sigma Problem? (& Why It Matters In Education)
Learn what Bloom’s 2 Sigma Problem is, why individualized instruction outperforms group teaching, and how tools like digital flashcards can help bridge the gap.
Resolution & Judgments of Learning: What They Are & Why They Matter
Learn what Judgments of Learning and Resolution are, and how mastering these metacognitive skills can make your studying far more accurate, efficient, and rewarding.
The Complete Cognitive Science Behind Brainscape
Discover how Brainscape uses spaced repetition and the cognitive science of learning to optimize memory retention and accelerate mastery of any subject.
What’s the difference between left-brain vs. right-brain dominance?
Discover the difference between people whose thoughts and talents are more dominated by the left hemisphere of their brain than the right and vice versa. Which one are you?
Interleaving Practice Makes Perfect: “Mix It Up” to Learn Faster
In this guide, you’ll discover how to unlock more efficient learning and longer memory using a powerful, yet underutilized study strategy called interleaving practice.
Do flashcards help kids with dyslexia?
Learn about what makes the dyslexic brain different to the neurotypical brain and why flashcards are such a helpful learning strategy for kids with this condition.
How the benefits of cold showers could change your life!
Discover how the benefits of cold showers—specifically the mental ones—can forge in you a mental resilience you never knew you were capable of!
Educator Pro Tip: Use Games to Improve Executive Function
The most critical yet underrated educational activity is explaining. We really should be teaching this skills in school. Games may be a great way to do it.
The cognitive benefits of being multilingual
Multilingualism has widely recognized social and career benefits. But did you know you can also reap the huge cognitive benefits of being multilingual?
Focused Vs. Diffuse Thinking: Which Is Better For Learning?
According to recent research on learning, there are two main ways that we process information. So which is better for learning—focused or diffuse thinking?
The relationship between dreaming, learning, and memory
Sleeping prepares our minds for future learning: studies show that dreaming has a major influence on learning and even memory consolidation.
How to Cure Insomnia (Without Drugs)
40% of the world’s population reports suffering from bouts of insomnia. Here's how to cure insomnia forever without drugs.