Generation: attempt before you are taught

Try to solve or answer first, even if you get it wrong, before seeing the solution.

Why it works

Attempting an answer before being given it primes the mind to absorb the correct answer more deeply, because the struggle creates a gap the explanation then fills. Even unsuccessful attempts improve later learning, since they activate related knowledge and make you notice exactly what you were missing. Errors made in the attempt, when corrected, become learning rather than failure.

How to do it

1. Before reading the explanation, try to answer the question or solve the problem yourself.
2. Make a genuine prediction or guess rather than skipping straight to the answer.
3. Then check, and pay closest attention precisely where your attempt fell short.

Evidence

The generation effect is well established: information you generate yourself is remembered better than information you merely read, and productive-failure research shows that attempting before instruction can improve subsequent learning. (rct)

Generation helps most when followed by accurate feedback; attempting without ever learning the correct answer can leave errors uncorrected.

Sources

• Slamecka & Graf (1978), the generation effect, J. Experimental Psychology

Common mistake

Skipping straight to the worked solution to "save time", which forfeits the priming benefit of a genuine attempt and makes the answer feel obvious in hindsight without being learned.