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THE EDPS METHOD

Ebbinghaus · Dunlosky · Paivio · Sweller

The Science Behind Deep Reading

The EDPS Method synthesizes four foundational discoveries in cognitive science to transform how we extract and retain knowledge from important texts.

Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885)

Discovered the forgetting curve and spaced repetition. We forget 70% within 24 hours—unless we review at expanding intervals.

John Dunlosky (2013)

Meta-analysis of learning techniques. Active recall and practice testing vastly outperform passive re-reading and highlighting.

Allan Paivio (1971)

Dual coding theory. Information encoded both verbally and visually creates stronger, more retrievable memories.

John Sweller (1988)

Cognitive load theory. Working memory is limited. Chunking, scaffolding, and progressive complexity prevent overload.

The Workflow

For each book section, I follow a structured process:

  1. Read the section carefully
  2. Summarize key arguments (AI-assisted)
  3. Quiz myself on the content
  4. Recall from memory before checking notes
  5. Synthesize weekly across sections
  6. Map ideas to modern applications

Public accountability ensures consistency. When my progress is visible, I show up.