ROTE LEARNING: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND EXAMPLES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The Rote learning is a new way of acquiring knowledge based on data internalization pure form, without relating them to other ideas previously stored. Therefore, it does not require that the person understand what she is memorizing, which produces a series of characteristics in the way in which the information is acquired.

Rote learning has both advantages and disadvantages. For example, it is the only way in which we can store pure data, such as names, telephone numbers, or data about a destination that we want to visit. At the same time, it is very inefficient, and generally requires a great conscious effort.

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Memorization is one of the most used processes in learning, especially within the formal educational system. Due to this, a series of techniques have been developed over the years that make the process of storing information in memory more efficient and easier to carry out.

Rote learning is of less and less importance in our society, due to the ease with which we can access almost any kind of pure information at all times. However, it remains one of the pillars of education, as well as having very practical applications in some contexts.

characteristics

Store raw data

Rote learning is very unusual within the knowledge acquisition processes, in the sense that it is the only one that allows storing pure information without the need to relate it to other previous ideas already known to the person. Therefore, it is the only method that we can use to remember data, dates and similar elements.

There are several ways to use it

Memorization is not always carried out in the same way. Generally, when we want to internalize a series of pure data, we repeat it over and over again until we are able to remember it. This technique, despite being the easiest to use, is also the least efficient.

Our brain is not particularly well prepared to internalize pure data, since these did not exist in abundance in the environment in which we developed as a species.

On the contrary, our mind is an expert in remembering what causes us emotions (especially negative) or that seems important or related to what we already know.

Due to this, in the last decades rote learning techniques have been developed that allow to store pure data taking advantage of this functioning of the mind. The set of skills and procedures used for this is known as mnemonics.

Use different types of memory

Disciplines such as psychology have spent decades trying to understand how rote learning works, in order to improve the process and help students and learners of all kinds to achieve better results. In this time, it has been discovered that there is not a single type of memory, but several related to each other.

Basically, humans have three different types of memory: short-term, long-term, and working. All three intervene in the rote learning process, but they do it in different ways; and depending on which one predominates at each moment, the results achieved will be different.

Short-term memory is responsible for storing data for a period of time less than a day. It is used, for example, when reviewing information minutes before an exam in order to answer more questions during it. It is on a more conscious level, and unless you go to the long term, the data will end up being lost.

In contrast, long-term memory is responsible for storing data for much longer periods of time. Technically, it has an unlimited capacity, and the memories stored in it do not disappear; although with time they become more blurred.

Finally, working memory is what allows us to keep a series of data in consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. It is used, for example, when someone tells us a phone number and we keep it in our head until we dial it, to forget it immediately afterwards.

Has imperfections

For a long time, it was thought that memory was capable of storing information in a totally accurate way. However, more recent research has shown that rote learning is far from being totally objective: the data we remember is not the same as the data we were initially exposed to.

Thus, one of the most important branches of research on the subject of memory is the one in charge of studying the most common flaws and biases that appear when we use it. The results of these studies show that even when we believe that we are objective in our memory, this is not actually true.

Two of the best known effects of memory are primacy and recency. These imply that the most reliably remembered information is the first and last part of the content that we want to memorize. For example, when studying a list of irregular verbs in English, we will tend to forget more easily the ones in the center.

As if this were not enough, when we memorize something we are not aware of the changes that the information has undergone in the process. Because of this, we tend to think that our memories are much more reliable than they really are, which can lead to all kinds of problems.

Types of rote learning

Depending on the way in which rote learning is carried out, and the depth with which the new knowledge has been internalized, we can distinguish between three versions of this process: superficial memorization, deep memorization, and mnemonic learning.

Superficial memorization

Superficial memorization is the most common type of rote learning, especially in contexts such as formal education. When it occurs, the person is able to store data and information, but in an imperfect way; and this new knowledge is not completely passed into long-term memory.

When someone performs superficial memorization on a subject, it will generally be impossible for them to remember all the data that they supposedly have stored. Rather, a phenomenon known as "recognition" will occur, whereby if you are exposed to them again, you will have the feeling of having seen them before.

In addition, in the process of superficial memorization, it is much more likely that the new stored data will end up being forgotten over time, or that it will be distorted. This is what happens, for example, when a student studies to pass an exam and forgets everything they have learned as soon as they finish it.

Deep memorization

During deep memorization, the person is able to make the new acquired data pass into long-term memory. Due to this, although some errors continue to appear when evoking the information, it will be much easier for the individual to remember what they have studied.

Memories gained through deep memorization are also more durable; and with this process, not only will the recognition effect be produced, but the person will be able to evoke the information at will, without the need for any type of help.

To carry out a good deep memorization, the most common technique is to repeat the data to be stored more frequently, until it is possible to record it in long-term memory. This happens, for example, when practicing a language: with enough time, the new words are integrated and can be used at will.

Mnemonic learning

Mnemonic learning consists of a set of tools that seek to improve the storage of pure data by taking advantage of the functioning of our brain. In this way, it tries to relate the information that you want to learn with a powerful emotion, in such a way that memorization occurs automatically.

A very basic example of mnemonic learning is that which occurs when a person is able to memorize the lyrics of a song that they really like after having listened to it just a couple of times. The emotions aroused by the melody help you to store the pure data of the lyrics more easily.

There are a large number of mnemonic tools that can be applied in all kinds of contexts, from formal education to learning a new language. With these techniques, memorization occurs automatically, almost effortlessly, and memories are much more durable and clearer than with other types of memory.

Differences with significant learning

In many respects, rote learning and meaningful learning are completely opposites. While the first seeks to store information and pure data, without any relevance to the person, the second tries to relate what one wants to learn with the previous experience of the individual and the real situations that occur in her life.

Because of this, meaningful learning almost always produces much better results than purely rote learning. The exception to this occurs with the use of mnemonics, which takes advantage of many of the principles of meaningful learning to store pure data in memory.

Another of the main differences between the two types of learning is the kind of knowledge that can be acquired with each of them. While the rote is more related to pure information, the significant has more to do with attitudes, beliefs, and ways of seeing the world.

In fact, it is impossible to use meaningful learning to, for example, internalize dates or names; while pure memory cannot be used to change beliefs or acquire a new way of understanding reality.

Techniques

Next we will see some of the most used techniques in rote learning. Of course, there are many more; but the ones on this list are the most common.

Repetition

The most basic memory technique consists of repeating the information that you want to store over and over again until it has been internalized. For example, if you want to memorize a date, using this technique you would repeat it out loud or write it down several times until you can remember it.

A more powerful version of this technique is spaced repetition, which consists of increasingly increasing the period of time that occurs between repetitions in order to relegate the new information to long-term memory.

Active memory

The active recall technique consists of the use of small "tests" or examinations to force the individual to integrate new information into memory more efficiently. A very common version of this technique is the use of memory cards, for example in learning a new language.

History method

This tool, belonging to the field of mnemonics, consists of creating an invented story that includes a series of words that you want to memorize.

Let's say, for example, that a person wants to memorize the following terms: dog, envelope, thirteen, wool, and window. To achieve this, you could make up the following story:

"A dog got trapped in an envelope, which was mailed to thirteen black cats who were playing with wool by the window."

Theoretically, these types of stories are easier to remember than pure data, because they generate an emotion in the person. Generally, the more absurd or creative the story, the easier it will be to memorize and the longer the memory will last.

Memory palace

This technique consists of a person imagining a place (generally a mansion or palace) with different rooms. In his mind, the individual "enters" each item that he wants to memorize in one of these rooms, so that he can more easily remember them later.

The memory palace has been in use for thousands of years. In fact, in classical antiquity it was part of the educational curricula in formal schools, in order to help students memorize pure data more effectively.

Examples

Rote learning is one of the most versatile that exists, and it occurs in many different contexts. Some of the most common are learning data for a test, acquiring vocabulary in a new language, memorizing the lyrics of a song, or learning the name of a person we just met.

References

1. "Rote learning - meaningful" in: Universidad de Palermo. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from the University of Palermo: fido.palermo.edu.
2. "Memorizing vs Understanding" in: Learning Scientists. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Learning Scientists: learningscientists.org.
3. "Types of memory" in: Human Memory. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Human Memory: human-memory.net.
4. "Rote learning: When we retain data without delving into its meaning" in: Cognifit. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Cognifit: blog.cognifit.com.
5. "Memorization" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.