Piotr Wozniak
Contact
E-mail address: woz2025 (@) supermemo (.) org (see: Apology)
If you see errors in my texts, please let me know.
Current research interest
- molecular and neural correlates of the two component model of long-term memory
- modeling stability and retrievability of memory in the processes of learning and forgetting
- structural and molecular mechanisms of the spacing effect
- spaced repetition in memory consolidation
- knowledge representation and knowledge darwinism in learning
- incremental reading
- entrainment patterns in the free running sleep condition
- memory consolidation and optimization in sleep
- modeling homeostatic and circadian interactions in sleep
- learn drive reward
- impact of knowledge coherence on forgetting and memory optimization in sleep
- impact of education on learning and creativity
- efficient problem solving
- natural creativity cycle
- neural creativity method
- brain's development optimization criteria
Work
spaced repetition
- author of the first computer algorithm for spaced repetition (commercially known as SuperMemo)(1982-present)
- co-founder of SuperMemo World, July 1991
- President and Head of R&D at SuperMemo World (1991-1997)
- founder of SuperMemo Research, an independent R&D unit at SuperMemo World (1997-present)
- author of first implementations of SuperMemo (incl. SuperMemo 1.0 for DOS, 1987, and SuperMemo 7.0 for Windows, 1992)
incremental learning
- author of the concept of incremental reading (1999), first implemented in SuperMemo 10 (2000)
- author of the concept of neural creativity (2015), first implemented in SuperMemo 17 (2016)
Education
Born: March 1962, Milanowek near Warsaw, Poland
Primary schools: (1969-1976): 8, 36, 72 and 30 in Poznan
Secondary school: (1976-1980): 9-th general education school, specialization: chemistry, biology and English
University education:
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (1980-1985), MS degree in molecular biology
- University of Technology in Poznan (1985-1990), MS degree in computer science (individual specialization: applications of computer science in human biology). Master's Thesis: Optimization of learning. A new approach and computer application
Doctoral degree: University of Economics in Wroclaw, 1995. Doctoral Thesis: Economics of learning. New aspects in designing modern computer aided self-instruction systems
See also:
Publications
I no longer care about publishing in peer-reviewed journals. I won't perish if I don't publish. Some of my old publications from the 1990s are listed here. I consider peer review to be a constraint on creativity and dissemination of inspiration (see: Problem with peer review). It does not help that our two component model of memory lives in obscurity despite being published a quarter of a century ago (see: Two components of long-term memory (1995))! The first ever publication of a spaced repetition algorithm has also remained unnoticed for it used the term repetition spacing rather than spaced repetition (see: Who invented the name spaced repetition?).
My best ideas are now listed at this site. I can get them out in raw form and receive feedback on the same day (rather than with a wasteful delay of one year). Of new ideas that I recommend (with a plea for corrective feedback):
- How to solve any problem?: a model of the creative process based on concept maps
- Pleasure of learning: the implementation of a unidirectional knowledge integration process based on learntropy
- Childhood amnesia: measurements of memory performance in childhood
- Learn drive: a new definition of curiosity that underlies efficient learning
- Toxic memory: how coercive learning can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, or depression
- Natural creativity cycle: cycles of divergent and convergent neural processing in sleep and in waking
- Knowledge in creative problem solving: the importance of new knowledge in building abstract models
- Neural optimization in sleep: how "disk defragmentation" works in a sleeping brain
- Biphasic life: why we have two peaks of cognitive performance per day
- Best time to nap: how to optimally use naps in a creative lifestyle
- Curing DSPS and insomnia: how to counteract the epidemic of phase shift disorders in electronic societies
- Baby sleep: why children sleep differently and how we can assist healthy circadian development
- Formula for common cold prevention: immune system workout that makes it easy to avoid infections
- Stabilization curve: discovered a century after the forgetting curve, stabilization curve is far more important in the optimization of learning
- Stabilization decay: why it is hard to strengthen stable memories
- Spacing effect gain: mathematical definition and the first ever precise measurement of the spacing effect
See also:
Opinion
- One language for the world: the world should adopt one official language
- Problem of schooling: compulsory schooling does a great deal of damage to human intelligence
- Declaration of Educational Emancipation: compulsory schooling is a violation of human rights
- Metric system should be adopted and promoted
- Diversity of knowledge underlies wisdom of the crowds. We should all have free access to uncensored knowledge
- Global government is inevitable as much as the brain was inevitable in evolution
- Artificial intelligence will soon pass the Turing test (written before ChatGPT). This process can only be halted by halting the progress of mankind
- Basic income is inevitable as much as the use of blood is inevitable in optimally feeding the brain
- Daylight Saving Time (DST) is one of the worst human inventions in terms of Cost/Value ratio
- I stopped using transportation. I walk or run. I travel only by Google Maps. This is my micro-contribution to saving the environment (and sanity)
- Harm of eyeglasses: I became myopic through ignorance and inattention. I believe that with a dose of prevention, most children can live lives without vision correction
- I stopped being patriotic
- Barefoot running is a great therapy (see: Incremental life)
- Real science is much wider than popularly believed. See: SuperMemo Guru promotes pseudoscience
Apology
My time allocations for e-mail and social media are not sufficient to always respond. E-mail is a more reliable medium because at the very least I import all mail to a dedicated SuperMemo collection that I review regularly. If you believe your mail is super-important, I don't mind if you resend it. For technical reasons, some mail never reaches me.
I do not take on new projects. I get many fantastic propositions and have to refuse due to being booked with plans and tasklists in a perspective that always escapes at the horizon.
I do not travel. Even worse, I love to live barefoot for the greater part of the year. Attendance at conferences is impossible.
For details see: Piotr Wozniak Apology