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Desirable Difficulties
Introduce strategic challenges that slow learning initially but enhance long-term retention.
StrategyVaries
The Science Behind It
Desirable difficulties are learning conditions that introduce challenges that feel harder but produce better long-term learning. These include spacing, interleaving, and variation.
How It Works
Understanding the cognitive mechanisms
- 1Initial difficulty strengthens encoding
- 2Challenges promote deeper processing
- 3Slows acquisition but enhances retention
- 4Builds flexible, transferable knowledge
Practical Implementation
Step-by-step guide to apply this technique
Key Benefits
What you'll gain from mastering this technique
- Dramatically improves long-term retention
- Enhances transfer to new situations
- Builds robust, flexible knowledge
- Develops problem-solving skills
Supporting Research
Scientific evidence backing this technique
Desirable difficulties improved retention by 100% despite slower initial learning
Bjork & Bjork, 2011 - Psychology of Learning and Motivation
Difficulty during learning predicts better long-term performance
Kornell & Bjork, 2008 - Psychonomic Bulletin & Review