~ lacking variation may lead to overgeneralized learning of specific examples

This result shows that when practice has low variability, we often adopt shortcuts that won’t necessarily generalize to the broader conditions of a task. These effort-saving maneuvers aren’t always conscious, so it’s not simply a matter of laziness. This is one reason I caution students when using flashcards for subjects like mathematics. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to design cards where you memorize the answer (x = 7) and not the method

❐ Variability, Not Repetition, is the Key to Mastery - Scott H Young

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