Hypercorrection

Before you read any further, please answer one question here. It will only take a minute.

Done?

With this question, we want to demonstrate the hypercorrection effect. Research on this effect shows that the more convinced we are of the truth of a fact, the more likely we are to remember the correct fact when our belief is contradicted. So, if you make a mistake but give a high certainty rating, you will remember the correct answer longer than if you hesitate.

These studies also show that making mistakes early in the learning process can benefit the learner and lead to better retention of information. Combined with the idea of pretesting that we have already discussed, the hypercorrection effect can make your training more effective and help you keep the learner's attention for longer.

If you want to read more, check out the work of Janet Metcalfe and other researchers. Or contact us, and we'll help you apply the most effective learning strategies to your next e-learning project.