relearning

Relearning, in psychology, refers to the process of learning something again. It is a method used to measure memory retention by comparing the number of trials it takes to reach a certain proficiency level with the number of trials needed to achieve that same level after a period of forgetting. The fewer trials required for relearning, the better the memory is retained. This is often expressed as a "savings score," indicating the percentage of original learning trials that were "saved" due to retained knowledge. Even if recall is zero, relearning can still show savings, suggesting that previously acquired knowledge enhances future learning. This concept is distinct from general learning theories that focus on mechanisms like conditioning, reward, and punishment.12