<p>I think you've got a reasonable handle on why learning vocabulary in a single, fixed order is probably not a great idea. You may also be interested in what is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context-dependent_memory" rel="nofollow">context-dependent memory</a>, where you recall things best in a context similar to that which you learned those things in (shitty sentence, but you know what I mean).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-09T16:59:54.417Z
2016-01-09T16:59:54.417Z
Russell Richie
<p>Learning vocabulary seems to be efficient if the words are learned in a fixed sequence, but it seems to be harder to recall these words in a different sequence then the learning sequence.</p>

<p>I wonder which theory can explain this effect, is it "chunking"? </p>

<p>Some definitions define chunking as a process where facts are organized in groups "chunks" that can be better memorized then the single facts.</p>

<p>In other definitions, it is described as an effect, where the elements of a chunk can be better predicted, because the probability of the occurrence of an element following another element is higher. Or in other words, we learn, that in the context of a special chunk an 'a' is mostly followed by an 'b' and so we can memorize the chunk 'ab' better.</p>

<cognitive-psychology><learning><linguistics>
Chunking and learning vocabulary
treeno
# Chunking and learning vocabulary

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-09)

Learning vocabulary seems to be efficient if the words are learned in a fixed sequence, but it seems to be harder to recall these words in a different sequence then the learning sequence.

I wonder which theory can explain this effect, is it "chunking"?

Some definitions define chunking as a process where facts are organized in groups "chunks" that can be better memorized then the single facts.

In other definitions, it is described as an effect, where the elements of a chunk can be better predicted, because the probability of the occurrence of an element following another element is higher. Or in other words, we learn, that in the context of a special chunk an 'a' is mostly followed by an 'b' and so we can memorize the chunk 'ab' better.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, learning, linguistics


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-01-09. Score: 1

I think you've got a reasonable handle on why learning vocabulary in a single, fixed order is probably not a great idea. You may also be interested in what is called [context-dependent memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context-dependent_memory), where you recall things best in a context similar to that which you learned those things in (shitty sentence, but you know what I mean).


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