Why do we repeat mistakes?

We learn from our own mistakes, but according to recent research, what we learn is how to make more mistakes.

This idea seems unusual from a study of a phenomenon called tip of the tongue (TOT) - meaning that you know a certain word but can't speak, posted details on the number. Recent newspapers of the quarterly magazine Experimental Psychololy.

The status of a TOT appears when your brain imports the correct word but for some reason cannot speak out. While the word backstabber can happen no matter how your language ability is, researchers find that the phenomenon of TOT occurs more for bilingual people (they have many words to choose from), old people and people with brain damage.

Researcher Karin Humphreys of McMaster University in Ontario said, "This is annoying when you know that you know the word but you can't quite get it. And once you have it, it is very pleasant because you cannot imagine what you have ever forgotten. '

Humphreys told Livescience that 'We know this is the brain the way the brain works. The brain reinforces everything it has done so the results are possible. '

With the support of Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Humphreys and McMaster University and colleagues Amy Beth Warriner checked the memory of 30 students. University.

Students are given a range of definitions and they must show whether they know the answer or if the answer is just about to remember. If a student answered that they were about to remember, they would have to take 10 to 30 seconds to try to think of the word before giving the answer. Two days later the students completed the verbal retest with the same definition.

Students tend to TOT for the same words that they have tipped off at the first test. Students who have 30 seconds to say the words in the previous test have problems when they say the words.

This error generates another error

In the next study, the researchers figured out the best way to remedy the mistake by repeating the word (saying it aloud or leaving it in mind) once you get the right answer. And instead of trying to remember a difficult word, stop and ask a colleague or look up online.

Studies should apply to other situations including music and sports. Humphreys said 'Music teachers know the principle they will say you practice slower. If you practice fast, you are just practicing wrong. '