You are absolutely correct; this is a hair worth splitting. I meant “spaced repetition flashcards”, and I have only seen formal spaced repetition algorithms applied to flashcards. In my particular case, I end up with 30 or so “pages” of related information, as opposed to 500 flashcards. I agree that using spaced repetition algorithms to tell me when to study which page is likely better than alternative methods, though I haven’t found an algorithm optimized for that sort of thing, and at the moment my intuition of “when I’m forgetting” is sufficient for the low number of separate objects to study.
[For this comment, I will use the term “page” to mean any collection of related information, be it a list, table, memory palace, notes on a single topic, etc.]
To be explicit: I vote against using spaced repetition (of any sort) to identify specific facts within a “page” of information. When reviewing a page, of course you can go quickly over the parts you know well and dwell on the parts you don’t, but I would encourage the student to not completely ignore the other details “until it’s time.”
As an example: I have a collection of facts that can be represented as a large table or as individual facts. If I study it in a table, then I get the advantage of keeping the “big picture in mind”, plus I can activate spatial memory as well as rote. If I study it as separate facts: the Pro is I can use spaced repetition to greater effect, not reviewing the parts I know better, but the loss of the picture and the spatial memory makes it not worth the cost. (Note that the “big picture” isn’t a single sentence I can write down; it’s noticing trends in the data, how column A and B are similar except in in key areas, etc.)
As always, my experience is only in high volumes of information that can be organized vaguely hierarchically. (That said, I think if you look hard enough, you can find categories or hierarchies for any large volume of information, outside of truly random things like the sequence of a deck of cards.)
Caveat #2: “self testing” is really important! So if you are quitting flash cards, make sure you find some new way to quiz yourself, don’t just read passively.
Conclusion: -Spaced repetition algorithms might be viable, though I don’t know any suitable to my needs -I claim that spaced repetition flashcards are not useful for large volumes that have categories and/or relationships between facts. -benkuhn rightfully points out that my vendetta is mostly against flashcards, or any method focusing on “terminal facts” in random order without also studying closely related facts.
Life application: 1) If you see a table, don’t vaporize it into your flashcards. Rather, study the table. 2) If you see a mass of new data: ask yourself if you can organize it in a way meaningful to you, then study it in the structure you built.
Mission Accomplished.
I definitely want to see the results! For reference, 2013: http://lesswrong.com/lw/jj0/2013_survey_results/
I wonder if we could get a chart with the data matched up over time? Chart community changes over time?