Mental Models for Learning

December 10th, 2023 (about 1 year ago) • 3 minutes

Some mental models on learning that I learned through an article.

1. Problem solving is search. You know where you are, you know where you want to be, and you know the rules for getting there, but everything in between is a mystery. Learning is the process of acquiring patterns and methods to cut down on brute-force searching.

2. Memory strengthens by retrieval, not by repetition. Learning speeds up when you recall by retrieving it rather than repeatedly viewing it.

3. Knowledge grows exponentially. Once the foundation is set well, future learning is very easy. Information can also be joined across domains, so that learning one thing makes it easier to learn something else.

4. Creativity is mostly copying. Innovation comes from small iterations or random mutation of old ideas. It's rare to see something truly new. For example, a lot of art revolutions are rejections of the past.

5. Skills are specific. If you want to be smarter, there's no shortcut to learning. Knowing one idea may matter little, but mastering many can give enormous power. Breadth > Depth.

6. Mental bandwidth is limited. You can only focus on one thing at a time. Focus on things that matter, and ignore the rest. Some tips on optimizing:

   • Novices do better when shown worked examples
   • Related materials should be kept on the same page
   • Remove redundant information
   • Break down complex ideas to parts

7. Success is the best teacher. Aim for roughly 85% success rate when learning. Problems should be hard enough so we are challenged but not impossible such that we won't succeed in them.

8. We reason through examples. Abstract description is understandable but not memorable. Examples help us to learn and remember. Deduction is a famous way of reasoning.

9. Knowledge becomes invisible with experience. As you become an expert, your skills are more automated, and you subconsciously don't think about it anymore. This makes it hard for experts to teach novices.

10. Relearning is fast. We can't avoid forgetting, but often times we can relearn something very quickly. Since we had already built the ground work and understanding previously, what is needed is just a quick relinking of ideas.