Desirable difficulties is a concept introduced by psychologist Robert Bjork, describing learning conditions that make initial acquisition of material feel slower or more effortful but that produce stronger, more durable and more transferable long-term learning than conditions that feel easier in the moment. Examples Bjork identified include spacing practice out over time rather than massing it, interleaving different topics or problem types rather than practicing one at a time in a block, and testing oneself on material rather than simply rereading it, all of which slow immediate performance while improving retention measured later. The concept is important in education precisely because it runs against learners' and teachers' intuitions, since the conditions that feel most productive during a single study session are often not the ones that produce the best long-term learning.
Facts
Core ClaimConcept coined by psychologist Robert Bjork (1994): learning conditions that feel slower or more effortful in the moment but produce stronger, more durable, more transferable long-term learning. 2 Classification
Education Level FAQs
Is every hard way of studying a desirable difficulty?
No. Only difficulties that can be accomplished and match later retrieval help.
No. Although there are many ways to introduce difficulty into learning, only some of them are desirable, meaning that they improve learning, comprehension and later performance. One set of guidelines asks three things: the processing at encoding should match the processing at retrieval, the processing at encoding should match the processing during practice, and the task must be possible to accomplish. A task that is too difficult may dissuade the learner and prevent full processing, so extra effort alone does not make a difficulty desirable.
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Source Desirable Difficulties (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Desirable Difficulties (Wikipedia)
- a learning task that requires a considerable but desirable amount of effort, thereby improving long-term performance
Developed By: Robert A. Bjork, Body
The term was first coined by Robert A. Bjork in 1994.
View the Source2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDesirable difficulty, Background sectionQuote, Desirable difficulty, Background section
The term was first coined by Robert A. Bjork in 1994. The UCLA psychologist introduced the concept as an experience that makes learning more difficult, allowing students to form stronger connections.
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