retrieval-practice

Trying to remember something on your own, instead of reading it again — like walking back to a place from memory rather than following the signs.

Research calls it the "testing effect": the act of pulling a memory out strengthens it more than another look at the page does. The leading account says each successful recall ties the memory to one more moment of your life, so there are more threads to find it by later (read 2026-06-10 — Karpicke, Lehman & Aue, 2014).