iant

Method & sources

IANT uses two learning techniques. Flashcards (Flip, Match, Listen & pick, Type it) use both. The other games (Word Battle, Picture Words, Sentence Builder, Guess the Word, Daily Challenge) use retrieval practice and list the words you missed at the end of each round so you can review them.

Spaced repetition

In Flashcards, cards you know well come back less often: after 1, 3, 7, 16, then 35 days. Cards you forget come back after 10 minutes. A synthesis of 317 experiments (Cepeda et al., 2006) found that spreading study out leads to better retention than cramming.

Retrieval practice

You always try to recall before you see the answer: flip, listen and pick, type the word. Testing yourself produces longer-lasting memory than re-reading (Karpicke & Roediger, 2008). Dunlosky et al. (2013) rated both techniques among the most effective.

References

1. Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. PubMed
2. Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966–968.
3. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58.

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