About this Video

• Video Title: Day 21: Elaboration | How to Learn Anything Course
• Channel: Plato University
• Speakers: Brandon Stover
• Duration: 00:06:43

Introduction

This video, part of Plato University's "How to Learn Anything" course, explains the learning technique of elaboration. It details how elaboration, including elaborative interrogation, helps commit information to long-term memory by actively thinking about, writing, and discussing the material, connecting it to personal experiences.

Key Takeaways

• Elaboration: A technique for committing information to long-term memory by actively thinking about, writing, and discussing the learning material. It involves explaining ideas with detail and making connections between them.
• Elaborative Interrogation: A specific method of elaboration that uses questions (how, why, what caused, what is the result) to deepen understanding and recall.
• The Science: Elaboration works because it engages deep processing, forming new associations and potentially involving chunking and deliberate practice. It induces the generation effect—enhanced memory from retrieving information.
• Practical Application: Use the technique by asking "how" and "why" questions about the material, actively recalling answers without notes, explaining steps in problem-solving, and connecting new information to existing knowledge and personal experiences.
• Plato University's Approach: The course incorporates elaboration by connecting lesson chunks and using active recall exercises requiring elaboration, encouraging connections between concepts.

Elaborative interrogation is a specific method of elaboration. In elaborative interrogation, you ask yourself questions about how and why things work and then generate answers. General elaboration is a broader technique that involves actively thinking about, writing about, and discussing the learning material, making connections among ideas and linking the material to personal experiences. Elaborative interrogation is a more focused approach within the larger framework of elaboration.

The generation effect is enhanced memory that results from retrieving or organizing information from long-term memory. Elaboration induces this effect because the process of explaining, describing, and connecting ideas requires deep processing of the information. Actively recalling and generating answers to questions, as well as connecting new information to existing knowledge and experiences, strengthens memory traces and improves retention.