Learning & Cognition

How people actually learn, remember, and understand. Cognitive science applied to studying.

A student's desk scattered with a half-read textbook, a notebook covered in arrows and diagrams, and a single lamp casting focused light.
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What Cognitive Load Theory Gets Right About Studying

John Sweller's cognitive load theory explains why some textbooks overwhelm while others flow, and what students can do about it when they study.

• 6 min read
A stack of worn flashcards scattered on a wooden desk next to an open notebook and a cup of black coffee.

The science of spaced repetition, and why most students do it wrong

Spacing works. But most students misuse it in three specific ways. What Ebbinghaus and modern memory research say about doing it right.

• 6 min read
A student's hand sketching a messy pencil diagram in a spiral notebook under warm desk lamp light.

Why drawing what you’re learning works better than rereading it

The research behind drawing-to-learn, from Fiorella and Mayer to the NSF Picturing to Learn project, and why sketching beats rereading for durable…

• 5 min read