Key Terms Every Student Should Know in Learning Science
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In this article
A quick-reference glossary of foundational concepts from educational psychology—spaced repetition, metacognition, retrieval practice, and more.
Why Learning Science Has Its Own Vocabulary
Educational psychology and cognitive science have produced decades of rigorous research on how humans acquire, store, and retrieve knowledge. That research comes with precise terminology - and understanding those terms isn't just academic housekeeping. When students can name a concept like retrieval practice or cognitive load, they can apply it deliberately, evaluate study tools more critically, and communicate more clearly with teachers and peers.
This reference guide defines the foundational terms you'll encounter most often in learning science literature, classroom discussions, and online learning platforms. Definitions are grounded in established educational psychology; where research is still evolving, that's noted.
Spaced Repetition
A study method in which review sessions are distributed over increasing time intervals rather than massed together. Research consistently shows that spacing exposures improves long-term retention compared to cramming.
Retrieval Practice
The act of actively recalling information from memory - through self-testing, flashcards, or practice questions - rather than passively re-reading it. Also called the testing effect, it is one of the most replicated findings in memory research.
Metacognition
Thinking about one's own thinking - specifically, the ability to monitor, evaluate, and regulate one's own learning processes. Students with strong metacognitive skills are better at judging what they know and what still needs work.
Cognitive Load
The total amount of mental effort being used by working memory at any given moment. Instructional design that exceeds a learner's cognitive load capacity tends to impede learning and increase errors.
Interleaving
Mixing different topics or problem types within a single study session rather than practicing one topic exhaustively before moving to the next. Studies suggest interleaving improves the ability to discriminate between concepts and apply knowledge flexibly.
Elaborative Interrogation
A study strategy in which learners ask and answer 'why' and 'how' questions about the material they are studying, forcing deeper connections between new and existing knowledge.
Working Memory
The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information during active thinking. It has a limited capacity, which is why breaking complex material into smaller chunks tends to aid learning.
Long-Term Memory
The memory system responsible for storing information over extended periods - from days to a lifetime. Effective study strategies aim to transfer learning from working memory into long-term memory.
Encoding
The process by which new information is transformed into a memory trace that can be stored in the brain. Deeper, more meaningful encoding (such as connecting new facts to existing knowledge) typically produces stronger memories.
Desirable Difficulty
A term used by cognitive psychologist Robert Bjork to describe challenges that slow down initial learning but ultimately produce stronger, more durable memory. Retrieval practice and interleaving are classic examples.
Growth Mindset
The belief, described by psychologist Carol Dweck, that intelligence and ability can be developed through effort and effective strategies, as opposed to being fixed traits. Research suggests this orientation influences persistence and academic resilience.
Transfer-Appropriate Processing
The principle that memory retrieval is most successful when the mental processes used during study match those required at recall. Studying in conditions similar to the test environment, for example, tends to aid performance.
Core Concepts in Memory and Retention
Memory is not a single thing - it's a system with distinct stages and structures. The terms below describe how information moves through that system and what researchers have found helps it stick.
| Field of Origin | Cognitive Psychology & Educational Psychology |
| Most Replicated Study Technique | Retrieval Practice (Testing Effect) (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006, Psychological Science) |
| Working Memory Capacity | Approximately 4 chunks of information at once (Cowan, 2001, Behavioral and Brain Sciences) |
| Spacing Advantage Over Massed Study | Consistently shown to improve long-term recall in controlled studies (Cepeda et al., 2006, Psychological Bulletin) |
| Metacognition Research Status | Well-established; central to self-regulated learning frameworks |
| Interleaving vs. Blocking | Interleaving often produces lower short-term performance but higher long-term retention (Taylor & Rohrer, 2010, Applied Cognitive Psychology) |
Two techniques with especially strong empirical backing are spaced repetition and retrieval practice. To understand why spacing sessions across days outperforms cramming at the biological level, see the cognitive research behind spaced repetition. For a broader survey of validated methods, study strategies with strong empirical support offers a useful companion read.
Research Strength Varies Across Techniques
Not every technique in learning science has the same depth of evidence behind it. Retrieval practice and spaced repetition have unusually strong and replicated support across diverse populations and subject areas. Other concepts - like certain applications of growth mindset interventions - have produced more mixed results in large-scale trials. Treat all study strategies as tools to experiment with, not guaranteed formulas.
Interestingly, the same foundational principles - reinforcement, extinction, and associative learning - also appear in animal training research. The science behind how animals learn illustrates just how broadly these mechanisms apply across species.
Putting These Terms to Work
Familiarity with learning science vocabulary pays off most when it shapes actual study habits. A student who understands interleaving will deliberately mix practice problems rather than blocking topics; one who grasps metacognition will pause to check whether their sense of understanding matches actual recall ability - a gap researchers call the illusion of knowing.
For a practical, technique-by-technique breakdown of how these concepts translate into study routines, spaced repetition, active recall, and other retention techniques worth knowing walks through each method in detail. The goal isn't to memorize definitions for their own sake - it's to make the underlying ideas automatic enough that they guide how you approach every learning task.
Cognitive Science Society - Public Resources
The Cognitive Science Society offers accessible overviews of memory, attention, and learning research for non-specialist readers interested in the science behind these terms.
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning (Brown, Roediger & McDaniel)
This widely cited book translates decades of cognitive psychology research into practical study principles, covering retrieval practice, interleaving, desirable difficulty, and more.
Anki (Spaced Repetition Flashcard Software)
A free, open-source flashcard application that uses a spaced repetition algorithm to schedule review sessions - a practical way to apply the concepts defined in this glossary.
Author
Learning & Education Editorial Team
Learning & Education Editorial Team is the collective byline for our editorial team and contributor network. Articles published under this byline or an editorial pen name are researched, written, and reviewed according to our editorial standards for clarity, consistency, and independence before publication.
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