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In this third episode of the Rarely Rational series about cognitive biases affecting memory and recall, Jyothi Sridhar, Madhavi Nadig, and Anagha explore the Spacing Effect.Madhavi tests listeners’ recognition and recalls using some tunesThe memory test includes segments from the Airtel ringtone, Ed Sheeran’s track “Shape of You”, ad jingles from Titan watches and Intel Pentium processor, music from the movie “Kantara” and the Jingle Bells tunePopular tunes become unforgettable earworms since we hear them many times and on different occasionsThe Spacing Effect makes us remember things we’ve heard repeatedly and at spaced-out intervalsIt improves retention and recall by helping us move information from short-term memory to long-term memoryA short study or practice session, followed by testing your knowledge, evaluating results, and adapting your next practice session yield better results than one long continuous period of studyJyothi learnt French better using Duolingo than in college, since Duolingo uses the Spacing Effect, along with several ways to motivate learners to continue learningAnagha believes notifications are good memory aids that spur action.Madhavi sets multiple notifications per calendar event to remember due dates and plan around distractions and procrastinationAnagha had to practice her dance steps, but her dance partner learned them just by watching the music video repeatedly“Work with our brains, not against them”Cramfests are popular though ineffectiveWith a bit of discipline, learners can take advantage of the Spacing Effect and learn effectively by spending the same amount of timeMOOCs try to use the Spacing Effect, but learners’ lack of motivation or discipline results in very low completion ratesThe German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, has created the Forgetting Curve based on his research about how people forgetRetention requires reinforcing newly learnt information before it is forgottenOver several days, SmartStart reinforces concepts using nudges, exercises, polls, quizzes, student-led discussions, AMAs, and Q&A with expert coachesThe rising popularity of microlearning in corporate learning since learners can complete small lessons whenever they find time and revisit them as often as neededWe use a generous dose of humour and memes in our learning products to take advantage of the Humour Effect while spacing information outIn marketing, the Spacing Effect is at the core of brand-building campaignsHow companies design the 8 or so customer touch points needed for a sale, using multiple channelsOnline platforms allow advertisers to retarget consumers a fixed number of times in a day and over multiple days based on heuristicsMost applications use design elements familiar to users to cater to their expectations which have been formed by using similar apps for a long timeFor complex products, user onboarding can be made easier by introducing new features in bite-sized chunks over several daysWebsites typically repeat their call-to-action (CTA) buttons even on the same pageRepeating the call to action is a good strategy for creating impactful presentations and coursesDistributed Practice is better than a marathon learning session Instructional Designers deliver more impactful courses by splitting learning into short sessions focused on a small number of related topics, with repetition and reinforcement of the key ideas built into itThe awareness of the Spacing Effect may help us not fall for click-baitCompanies can schedule periodic reviews to reinforce OKRs and company values in employees’ mindsEdTech companies can support students by giving them flashcardsSince recalling information also reinforces it, online courses should include periodic tests in the learning phase as well EdTech companies and marketeers benefit from using a variety of messages and mediums to communicate ideas to their target audiencesSerial Positioning Effect: People’s tendency to remember items at the beginning and the end of listsEven though it’s one of the most recognized brands in the world, Coca-Cola continues to spend $4 billion on advertising around the world.This podcast is brought to you by Adeptic Creative Labs with support from the team at Clearly Blue Digital.Write to us at podcasts@adepticlabs.com.Follow us on LinkedIn at Adeptic Creative Labs and Clearly Blue Digital.