The probable reason that Ebbinghaus' forgetting curves were so steep was that Ebbinghaus
A) had a poor memory.
B) learned too many lists.
C) used very meaningless materials.
D) used autobiographical materials.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ebbinghaus purposely used nonsense syllables as the materials for his experiments in order to eliminate any preexisting associations and to create a situation in which past experience would not interfere with new learning. However, this also resulted in very meaningless materials that were difficult to remember, contributing to the steepness of the forgetting curves.

The Probable Reason That Ebbinghaus' Forgetting Curves Were So Steep