Hermann Ebbinghaus
Hermann Ebbinghaus was a pioneering figure in the study of learning and memory, recognized for his innovative scientific approach during the late 19th century. Born on January 24, 1850, in Barmen, Prussia (now Germany), Ebbinghaus pursued a doctoral degree in philosophy at the University of Bonn before embarking on a career that would fundamentally shape psychological research. He is particularly noted for his experiments on memory, in which he utilized himself as the sole participant, diverging from the introspective methods common at the time.
Ebbinghaus introduced the use of 'nonsense syllables'—three-letter combinations devoid of meaning—to minimize the influence of established language on memory experiments. His groundbreaking work led to the formulation of concepts such as the forgetting curve, which illustrates how quickly we tend to forget information shortly after learning it, and the learning curve, which describes the rate of learning over time. His publication "Über das Gedächtnis" (1885) detailed his findings, establishing a foundation for the modern understanding of memory processes.
Ebbinghaus's legacy endures in contemporary cognitive psychology, with his methodologies and findings continuing to inform the study of memory and learning theories today. His work not only emphasizes the importance of empirical research but also highlights the intricate nature of human cognition.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Hermann Ebbinghaus
- Date of birth: January 24, 1850
- Place of birth: Barmen, Prussia (now in Germany)
- Date of death: February 26, 1909
- Place of death: Halle, Germany
TYPE OF PSYCHOLOGY: Learning; memory
Ebbinghaus was a pioneer in studying learning and memory using scientific principles.
Life
Hermann Ebbinghaus grew up in the small town of Barmen, located on the verdant banks of the Wupper River in northwestern Germany. After a brief stint in the Prussian army, he completed his doctoral studies in philosophy at the University of Bonn in 1873. Soon after completing his education, Ebbinghaus lived in Berlin and eventually traveled in France and England for several years. While in England, Ebbinghaus read Elemente der psychophysik (1860; Elements of Psychophysics, 1866) by Gustav Theodor Fechner, which many believe had a profound impact in shaping his approach to studying memory.
In 1879, Ebbinghaus began a series of experiments in learning and memory, using himself as the only research participant. At that time, the prevailing method for studying cognition was introspection, popularized by the eminent psychologist Wilhelm Wundt. Ebbinghaus chose to study memory from a radically different perspective. He used scientific methods borrowed from the natural sciences, including statistics and mathematical formulas, to explain performance.
To circumvent problems that common words posed for memory experiments, Ebbinghaus created his own stimuli, which he called nonsense syllables. These were three-letter syllables made up of a consonant-vowel-consonant, such as SOP or BEV. Ebbinghaus conducted hundreds of experiments where he would require himself to rehearse a list of nonsense syllables to the point where he could write them down in their proper order with perfect accuracy. After a time delay, he attempted to relearn a list, keeping track of the number of rehearsals needed to regain 100 percent accuracy. He then made a calculation, referred to as the method of savings, which was based on the difference between the number of rehearsals needed for the initial learning and the second go-around.
Ebbinghaus published the results of his memory experiments in Über das gedächtnis: Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie (1885; Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology, 1913). Attention was drawn to his forgetting curve, which indicated most forgetting was not a linear function. Instead, the majority of forgetting occurs during the first few hours and then gradually declines over the next several days and weeks. Ebbinghaus’s legacy is embedded within these controlled experiments, and his learning curve, forgetting curve, and spacing effect are concepts that are still used in the modern study of memory. The subject and methodology of his research continue to influence the field of cognitive psychology in the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
Boneau, Alan. "Hermann Ebbinghaus: On the Road to Progress or Down the Garden Path?" Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology, vol. 3, edited by Gregory Kimble and Michael Wertheimer. Washington, DC: Amer. Psychological Assn., 1998.
Halpern, Sue. Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research. New York: Crown, 2013.
"Hermann Ebbinghaus." University of York, www.york.ac.uk/depts/maths/histstat/ebbinghaus‗biog.htm. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
Howes, Mary. Human Memory: Structures and Images. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2007.
"Mastering Memory Retention: Insights from the Hermann Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve." Medium, 18 July 2024, maxlearn-microlearning.medium.com/mastering-memory-retention-insights-from-the-hermann-ebbinghaus-forgetting-curve-maxlearn-5d30cb00f4d5. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
Neath, Ian, and Aimee Surprenant. Human Memory. 2d ed., Belmont: Wadsworth, 2003.
Rey, Amandine E., et al. "Demonstration of an Ebbinghaus Illusion at a Memory Level: Manipulation of the Memory Size and Not the Perceptual Size." Experimental Psychology, vol. 61, no. 5, 2014, pp. 378-384, doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000258. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
Whitman, R. Douglas. Cognition. Hoboken: Wiley, 2011.
Wozniak, Robert. Classics in Psychology, 1855–1914: Historical Essays. Bristol: Thoemmes, 1999.