November 9, 2026 · Knowledge Management Made Simple
Imagine learning ten new words today.
“Wonderful!” says Pavel. “I’ll remember them forever!”
Tomorrow, Oxana asks for the words.
Silence.
Apparently, Pavel’s memory has gone on holiday.
Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus studied forgetting in his 1885 book Memory. He discovered that forgetting can be rapid at first and then become slower.
Let’s explore three funny examples.
1. The Missing English Word
Pavel learns the English word “hedgehog.”
“Easy!”
Three days later, Oxana asks:
“What’s a hedgehog?”
“A tiny dinosaur?”
“Try again!”
Pavel checks the word and practises recalling it later.
What did we learn?
New information can become difficult to remember surprisingly quickly. Revisiting it helps us practise keeping it accessible.
2. Oxana’s Forgotten Instructions
Oxana shows Pavel how to organise family photographs.
He understands everything.
A week later, he tries again.
“Where was that button?”
Oxana smiles.
“The same place as last week.”
“Excellent. Does the button remember?”
What did we learn?
Understanding instructions once doesn’t guarantee remembering them later. Practising the procedure and keeping a useful guide can help.
3. The Robot’s Second Lesson
Pavel teaches a robot to dance.
Well, actually, he learns how to program its movements.
A month later, he forgets the commands.
Fortunately, his notes help him learn them again faster.
“Wonderful!” says Oxana. “Your memory wasn’t completely empty!”
What did we learn?
Previously learned material can be easier to relearn, even when we cannot recall it immediately.
The Big Idea
Ebbinghaus studied memory using lists of meaningless syllables.
His Forgetting Curve showed substantial early forgetting, followed by slower decline.
The exact rate varies with the material, person, and learning conditions. His original results are not a universal timetable for everyone.
Why This Matters for Knowledge Management
Saving information is important, but people also need opportunities to revisit, retrieve, and use it.
What About Artificial Intelligence?
AI can help schedule reviews, generate memory quizzes, and retrieve forgotten instructions.
But real retention should be tested, not assumed.
“All sorts of ideas, if left to themselves, are gradually forgotten.”
Hermann Ebbinghaus, Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology (1885), Chapter VII, English translation (1913).
The takeaway: Don’t just learn something once. Return to it before it disappears from memory.
Especially if your hedgehog keeps turning into a dinosaur.
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