Why it works
Memrise has been carefully designed to make your learning as efficient and long-lasting as possible. Here are three of the scientific principles that underlie this platform.
Elaborate encoding
The more your brain does to encode a word, the richer and more robust the memory that results. Memrise has been designed to help you form deep, vivid memories every time.
We do this by providing you with mems at the point where you first encounter a new word. Mems are vivid images or nuggets of interesting and relevant information that help deepen the way your brain engages with what you're learning. They work best when they stimulate your senses, your imagination and your emotions. Memories that result from such processing last longer, they stand out better and they are more enjoyable and satisfying to recall.
Choreographed testing
Recalling a memory is one of the most powerful ways to make it robust, flexible and strong.
The science of how different kinds of test strengthen memories in different ways is exceedingly complex and interesting. At Memrise, we take painstaking care to test your memories at the time and in the way that will be most beneficial to them. For instance, we adaptively calibrate the difficulty and unexpectedness of your tests to the current state of your memories.
Scheduled reminders
Memories gradually decay over time. It’s therefore vital to review what you have learned in order to keep it fresh.
The ideal time to review a memory is just before you are about to forget it, when it will get the biggest boost in strength.
At Memrise, we work obsessively to help you build better, healthier memories, so speeding your learning and keeping forgetting to an absolute minimum.
