Is this how the scheduling algorithm should work?

[Tom]

After installing the 2.0 version I often check the next scheduled repetition of cards to learn how I should use the scheduling buttons.

Today I got a card which I remembered only barely, so I pressed 2 (the interval was way too long). Before pressing 2 I checked in the browser the previous occurance of the card which was 19 days ago. After pressing 2 the browser said the next repeition will be 26 days.

Is this how it's supposed to work? Isn't pressing 2 should shorten the repetition period?

[Peter Bienstman]

No, the SM2 algorithm never shortens the interval. Pressing 2 will result
however in an interval which grows much less that pressing 5.

Peter

[Henrik in Oslo]

On Friday, 22 June 2012 16:02:46 UTC+2, Peter Bienstman wrote:

On Friday, June 22, 2012 02:01:19 AM Tom wrote:
> After installing the 2.0 version I often check the next scheduled
> repetition of cards to learn how I should use the scheduling buttons.
>
> Today I got a card which I remembered only barely, so I pressed 2 (the
> interval was way too long). Before pressing 2 I checked in the browser the
> previous occurance of the card which was 19 days ago. After pressing 2 the
> browser said the next repeition will be 26 days.
>
> Is this how it's supposed to work? Isn't pressing 2 should shorten the
> repetition period?

No, the SM2 algorithm never shortens the interval.

Really? Even if Tom had graded his respons 0 or 1, next repetition would still be > 19? 

 

Pressing 2 will result
however in an interval which grows much less that pressing 5.

I use the browser every now and then to get an idea of what cards give me the the most recalling problems (sort by "Easiness"). Some of the "difficult" cards I then realise it is better to wait with (until my basic understading is better). I change their tag and simply do not include theem in my daily rep for a while. If however it is really important to learn a "difficult" card, I modify the card and/ or create supplemenentary cards related to the knowledge area that gives me problems

An idea: It would be really nice to have an explanation of the terms used: Is "grade" the last grade given?, What are "Easiness"/ "acquisition reps" etc 

Henrik

Peter

[Peter Bienstman]

On Friday, June 22, 2012 09:22:36 AM Henrik in Oslo wrote:

> > > Is this how it's supposed to work? Isn't pressing 2 should shorten the
> > > repetition period?
> >
> > No, the SM2 algorithm never shortens the interval.
>
> Really? Even if Tom had graded his respons 0 or 1, next repetition would
> still be > 19?

Well, for 0 or 1, the interval will obviously be 0 :-)

> > Pressing 2 will result
> > however in an interval which grows much less that pressing 5.
>
> I use the browser every now and then to get an idea of what cards give me
> the the most recalling problems (sort by "Easiness"). Some of the
> "difficult" cards I then realise it is better to wait with (until my basic
> understading is better). I change their tag and simply do not include theem
> in my daily rep for a while. If however it is really important to learn a
> "difficult" card, I modify the card and/ or create supplemenentary cards
> related to the knowledge area that gives me problems
>
> An idea: It would be really nice to have an explanation of the terms used:
> Is "grade" the last grade given?,

Yes.

> What are "Easiness"/ "acquisition reps"

Acquisition reps is the number of reps it took you to acquire this cards
(until you graded it 2 or higher)

Peter

[Henrik in Oslo]

On Friday, 22 June 2012 18:27:59 UTC+2, Peter Bienstman wrote:

On Friday, June 22, 2012 09:22:36 AM Henrik in Oslo wrote:

> > > Is this how it's supposed to work? Isn't pressing 2 should shorten the
> > > repetition period?
> >
> > No, the SM2 algorithm never shortens the interval.
>
> Really? Even if Tom had graded his respons 0 or 1, next repetition would
> still be > 19?

Well, for 0 or 1, the interval will obviously be 0 :-)

:-) Sure, but during my (or in this case Toms) relarning of the forgotten card 1) will next rep then still be > 19? and 2) Does it matter how you grade the card while "relearning"? (From SM7 I am used to "grade doesn't matter" during relearning"  rep will certainly be a lot shorter (3-10 days) than previous rep-time) 

[Peter Bienstman]

Quoting "Henrik in Oslo" <001h...@gmail.com>:

> :-) Sure, but during my (or in this case Toms) relarning of the forgotten
> card 1) will next rep then still be > 19?

Ah, I see. The easiness will be kept the same, but the intervals will
be reset, starting from the initial intervals of a few days.

> and 2) Does it matter how you grade the card while "relearning"?

In 2.0, a little bit, because I got many bug reports in 1.x that the
tooltips were the same for all the >=2 grades in those cases :-)

Peter

[Tom]

Then the button texts don't convey properly what happens when pressing

them.

If I haven't seen a word for quite a while and encountering it I choose

option 2, "Barely correct answer, the interval was way too long" then

the second part of the sentence suggests the next interval will be

shorter, because I told the software " the interval was way too long",

therefore I don't want the same or longer interval for the same word,

I obviously want a shorter one.

[Henrik in Oslo]

Hi Tom

I think your comment touches on the very essence of Spaced Repetition Learning (SRL): ***Long*** term learning. 

I have been using SLR for more than 10 years, and I have often experienced situations when I barely remember the correct answer (But, Eureka, I do!!). That's exactly when the mysterious mechanisms of the brain somehow  activate and will "store" this knowledge for a really ***long*** time. 

Grade 2: You DID remember the card, your brain WORKED HARD to recall it, and therefore it will take long(er) until you (nearly) forget it. 

In fact the "golden nuggets" of your cards are exactly those that you will score "1,5(!)", because they really challenge yoour ability to memorise. "5" cards give you a good feeling ("I really know quite a lot") but they are wasting your precious learning-time. "0" cards may be so badly formulated (or indeed, way too hard) and may be a waste of time. 

With Mnemosyne 2 I can easily assign new tags to my "too-hard-let-me-wait-until-my-basic-understanding-is-in-place-" cards and "too-easy-let-me-wait-until-they-may-be-forgotten" cards and thus concentrate on the golden nuggets :-) . Strenuous, but that is learning in a nutshell...

Good luck! / Henrik