Learning Science
30 evidence-labeled concepts on Learning Science, drawn from the Shrink Atlas. Each concept is a short lesson: what it is, why it matters, how to work with it. Explore the list, or start with the one that fits your question today.
Cognitive Scaffolding
Support should decrease as competence increases.
Curiosity
Curiosity transforms uncertainty into learning.
Desirable Difficulties
Struggle can strengthen learning.
Discrimination Learning
Wisdom knows when patterns stop applying.
Dual Coding
Pairing words with visuals gives memory two routes instead of one.
Elaborative Interrogation
Asking why facts are true deepens understanding and memory.
Expertise Reversal Effect
The best teaching method flips as a learner becomes an expert.
Extinction Learning
Learning can be updated.
Fading
Slowly withdrawing help so a learner grows independent.
Generalization
Learning becomes powerful when it spreads.
Generation Effect
Generating an answer yourself strengthens memory more than reading it.
Germane Cognitive Load
The good kind of learning effort that turns information into knowledge.
Hebbian Learning
Repeated co-activation strengthens neural connections.
Interleaving
Variation strengthens learning.
Mastery Learning
Competence determines progression.
Modality Effect
Pairing visuals with spoken words spreads mental load and aids learning.
Productive Failure
Early mistakes often improve later understanding.
Redundancy Effect
Extra information that repeats what's already clear wastes mental capacity.
Reinforcement Learning
Behavior follows consequences.
Retrieval Practice
Memory grows through use.
Schema Updating
Knowledge grows by continually refining existing understanding.
Self-Explanation
Talking yourself through material to deepen and check understanding.
Skill Acquisition
Excellence develops gradually.
Spaced Repetition
Space creates stronger memory.
Split-Attention Effect
Splitting attention between pieces that belong together wastes mental capacity.
The Spacing Effect
Spacing strengthens memory.
Transfer of Learning
Knowledge matters most when it travels.
Transfer-Appropriate Processing
Practice in the way you'll need to perform for best transfer.
Worked Example Effect
Studying full solutions helps novices more than struggling unaided.
Zone of Proximal Development
The learning zone just beyond what you can do on your own.
How this library is organized
Every concept in Learning Science lives in one of six realms of the Shrink Atlas and carries an honest evidence label. This page is a navigation aid; the concept pages are where the lessons are. Follow one, or come back tomorrow for the daily concept.
See the whole Atlas · See the frameworks that use these concepts · See guided pathways