This document discusses measuring learning and cognition through spaced repetition systems and experiments. It describes using spaced repetition to track vocabulary, skills and facts from various topics. Possible ways to measure brain performance discussed include arithmetic tests, typing speed, games, and correlating spaced repetition performance to energy levels. Challenges with measurement are noted, and passive monitoring of brain waves or physical indicators are proposed as alternatives.

1. Cognition and Learning May 29, Quantified Self 2011 Nick Winter nick@skritter.com

2. Two Topics Today Measuring Learning + Measuring Cognition

3. Measuring Learning (measuring our learning speed and how much we remember) Tracking it Improving it

4. Ebbinghaus and Memory

5. Spaced Repetition

6. Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) Anki, SuperMemo Skritter (my baby)

7. What Can You SRS? Obvious Vocabulary/Languages Science School stuff Phone numbers Names and faces Any facts, really Not obvious Self-help/habits Music How to deal with police What organic/free range/grass-fed/certified humane actually mean Anything chunkable

8. What I’m SRSing Chinese Spanish Morse Code Braille Chess Rationality techniques Biases and fallacies Social skills People I meet Anatomy Account numbers Poetry Cooking Massage Investing Lots of nonfiction books

9. Super Simple Self Experiments

10. Super Simple Self Experiments

11. Measuring Cognition (measuring the performance of our brains) Why? How?

12. Brain Performance is Important +10 IQ = $XXXXX? 2x focus = $XXXXX?

13. You Can Pump Up Your Brain (probably) You could try… Walking, standing, butter, fermented foods, warm showers, smart drugs, meditation, breathing exercises, biofeedback, fish oil, flaxseed oil, MCT oil, yoga, alcohol, yams, coffee, mint tea, creatine, winter swimming, dual n-back, and sleeping a lot!

14. You Can Pump Up Your Brain (probably) And you might not want to eat… Raw carrots, raw bell peppers, peanut butter, walnuts, pure sugar, bananas, raw apples, grains, tofu, onions, mushrooms, lactose, chocolate, nuts, coffee, cheese, or processed foods!

15. You Can Pump Up Your Brain (probably) Tons of ways Most won’t work for you How to find the right few? Just try them and measure the results!

16. Cool Experiments that Worked Seth Roberts: Butter + Flaxseed Oil + Warm Showers = Faster Arithmetic Dave Asprey: Not Eating Wheat = Way Better at Freecell Piotr Wozniak Free-Running Sleep = Better Memory During SRS

17. How to Measure Brain Performance? Some possible tests: Psychomotor Vigilance Test, sightreading music, Continuous Performance Tasks, typing speed tests, Test of Variables of Attention, Sudoku, crosswords, arithmetic, solitaire, blitz go, blitz chess, brain training games, dual n-back, Quake 3, Grid Wars, Tetris, Minesweeper, or just plain thinking about how sharp you are at the moment

18. How to Measure Brain Performance? Some possible tests that don’t have a big learning effect: Psychomotor Vigilance Test, sightreading music, Continuous Performance Tasks, typing speed tests, Test of Variables of Attention, Sudoku, crosswords, arithmetic, solitaire, blitz go, blitz chess, brain training games, dual n-back, Quake 3, Grid Wars, Tetris, Minesweeper,or just plain thinking about how sharp you are at the moment

19. How to Measure Brain Performance? Some possible tests that don’t have a big learning effect and are reliable: Psychomotor Vigilance Test, sightreading music, Continuous Performance Tasks, typing speed tests, Test of Variables of Attention, Sudoku, crosswords, arithmetic, solitaire, blitz go, blitz chess, brain training games, dual n-back, Quake 3, Grid Wars, Tetris, Minesweeper,or just plain thinking about how sharp you are at the moment

20. How to Measure Brain Performance? Some possible tests that don’t have a big learning effect, are reliable, and aren’t designed to bore you: Psychomotor Vigilance Test,sightreading music, Continuous Performance Tasks,typing speed tests, Test of Variables of Attention,Sudoku, crosswords, arithmetic, solitaire, blitz go, blitz chess, brain training games, dual n-back, Quake 3, Grid Wars, Tetris, Minesweeper,or just plain thinking about how sharp you are at the moment

21. How to Measure Brain Performance? Some possible tests that don’t have a big learning effect, are reliable, and aren’t designed to bore you: Psychomotor Vigilance Test,sightreading music, Continuous Performance Tasks,typing speed tests, Test of Variables of Attention,Sudoku, crosswords, arithmetic, solitaire, blitz go, blitz chess, brain training games, dual n-back, Quake 3, Grid Wars, Tetris, Minesweeper,or just plain thinking about how sharp you are at the moment Really? Is that the best we can do?

22. Aha! SRS performance == brain performance! Already doing SRS every day 100,000 reviews this year 18,000 have energy data Correlations Retention rate vs. energy: Thinking time vs. energy: Total review time vs. energy:

23. Aha! SRS performance == brain performance! Already doing SRS every day 100,000 reviews this year 18,000 have energy data Correlations Retention rate vs. energy: 0.02 Thinking time vs. energy: 0.03 Total review time vs. energy: 0.02

24. This is a lot harder to measure than I thought

25. How to Measure Brain Performance? Seth Roberts’ arithmetic test …?

26. What about passive measuring? Devices that monitor your brain waves? Physical indicators correlated to mental function? Other biofeedback devices? This would be really awesome

27. Okay, Let’s Talk Spaced repetition for the win? How would you measure brain performance? What are your experiences tracking learning and cognition? http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/ff_wozniak http://blog.sethroberts.net/2010/03/27/why-i-use-arithmetic-to-measure-brain-function/ http://blog.sethroberts.net/2011/01/29/the-buttermind-experiment/ http://blog.sethroberts.net/2010/11/19/effect-of-flaxseed-oil-on-arithmetic/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gl/how_to_test_your_mental_performance_at_the_moment/ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2562632