The Concrete Examples Effect: Why Specific Examples Make Abstract Books Click | Chapterly Blog
The Concrete Examples Effect: Why Specific Examples Make Abstract Books Click Quick Answer: The concrete examples effect is the well-documented finding that people learn abstract concepts dramatically better when they pair the concept with a specific, concrete example — especially one they generate themselves. In learning-science studies, students who generated their own examples outperformed control groups by 50 percent or more on application questions. To use it while reading: after each major idea, pause and write one example from your own life that the concept explains. The example does not need to be perfect; the act of generating it does most of the work. You are reading a chapter on behavioral economics. The author explains the concept of loss aversion: people feel the pain of losing something more strongly than the pleasure of gaining something of equal value. You nod along. It makes sense. You move on to the next section. Three weeks later, someone asks you about loss aversion. You know you read about it. You can almost recall the definition. But you cannot explain it clearly, and you certainly cannot use it to analyze a real situation. The concept entered your mind as an abstraction and left as...