Where does that 90% figure come from? My two major jobs I've had have been in academia and at a ski resort. There's no way I've lost 90% of the training in academia. It's too important to forget. And I still remember how to do my ski tech job though I haven't done it since 2003. Maybe I'm fortunate, an anomaly, or maybe the stat is made up?
Hi Travis, appreciate the pushback, and you are right to question it if the context is not clear. I have realised that I had not specified that the figure applies specifically to passive training methods, which is an important distinction, and I have since updated the post to reflect that.
Also, just to clarify, it says up to 90%, not a flat 90%. That figure comes from studies on the Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve and similar studies that examine what happens when new information is introduced without reinforcement, typically in a one-off training session.
That is quite different to your experience. In both your academic and ski tech roles, you would have used that knowledge repeatedly over time. That repetition is what strengthens neural pathways. You have already gone through the initial forgetting phase, and the information was reinforced enough to be retained long term. So it makes complete sense that you still remember it.
Happy to answer any further questions you may have.
Thanks, Daniel. That’s a helpful clarification and some important background. The Ebbinghaus hasn’t found an easy road to replication, but I think it’s a perfectly legitimate study to cite.
Where does that 90% figure come from? My two major jobs I've had have been in academia and at a ski resort. There's no way I've lost 90% of the training in academia. It's too important to forget. And I still remember how to do my ski tech job though I haven't done it since 2003. Maybe I'm fortunate, an anomaly, or maybe the stat is made up?
Hi Travis, appreciate the pushback, and you are right to question it if the context is not clear. I have realised that I had not specified that the figure applies specifically to passive training methods, which is an important distinction, and I have since updated the post to reflect that.
Also, just to clarify, it says up to 90%, not a flat 90%. That figure comes from studies on the Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve and similar studies that examine what happens when new information is introduced without reinforcement, typically in a one-off training session.
That is quite different to your experience. In both your academic and ski tech roles, you would have used that knowledge repeatedly over time. That repetition is what strengthens neural pathways. You have already gone through the initial forgetting phase, and the information was reinforced enough to be retained long term. So it makes complete sense that you still remember it.
Happy to answer any further questions you may have.
Thanks, Daniel. That’s a helpful clarification and some important background. The Ebbinghaus hasn’t found an easy road to replication, but I think it’s a perfectly legitimate study to cite.