Userscript: Memrise Learning Retries

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Readme: https://github.com/cooljingle/memrise-learning-retries/blob/master/README.md

This userscript changes what happens when learning new words and answering incorrectly - instead of taking the word out of the session, the script will remind you of the answer and then take you back to the test screen to have another go. This way if you’re learning 10 words you end the session with 10 words planted, instead of 10 minus however many you got wrong.

Installation link is in the readme, happy learning!

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hey, many thanks…

i took the relevant lines and copypasted in one of my current memrise-scripts… did not work forme, somehow the css line _(MEMRISE.garden).on(“wrong”, setBoxes);

seems to be unfinished (at least this is what the editor is “communicating”, because I, personally, i am a tiny 0 in sripting)

anyhow, many thanks for your endless efforts to improve the memrise experience :bow:

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Thanks a lot. Worked instantly for me! I finally “dared” to install some userscripts and am very pleased with the improvements for my learning habits.

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I would recommend just running the script separately as-is and see if that works for you. The error you get is probably because the line you referred to calls a function which is defined elsewhere in the script.

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shall do! (however, the script i used to attach your lines is doing nothing but changing the mandarin fonts)

thanks again

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This is the description which cooljingle gave me on another thread:

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Hi Cooljingle,

I have now tested your script once again.

Normal Memrise behaviour without your script:

When I answer questions wrong (typing or multiple-choice) for the 6 step flower planting (15) learning session, the (same) question will usually popup again a bit later, after the screen mem/right answer + re-typing screen was shown (6 steps not reached yet).
Usually it does NOT happen straight with the next question, that the same question is repeated.
Normally there is a bit of spacing with the “test boxes”…just like your other script “wrong answer skips” does it.

I encountered a side behavior with your script “Memrise learning retries” activated:

The same question, answered by me incorrect previously, will immediately be shown as the next typing question, even the learning steps for all the other outstanding words of the level have not been finished.

Personally I do not like it that much that once I had seen the answer/mem screen + retyping screen that the immediate next question is not a new/different word, but actually it is the same word from the last question again.

Q: Do you have any chance to check how many “test boxes” are still in the queue and if you can change the question order for the incorrect question and put it a little bit more back, just like as your / Memrise algorithm does with “wrong answer skips”?

A 3…5 question queue spacing would be perfect.
My learning sessions are usually 15 words.
If a user has setup a 25/50 words session, the algorithm could further put back that wrong question in the test box queue.
The more far back you put that re-questioning of invalid 1-3+ answers, the more it is IMHO a challenge for a user to actually having to remember the given word (from show answer/mem and re-typing screens).

You only need to schedule the wrong answer as the direct next question, if there are not any other words in queue and ALL flowers (vocabulary) has been planted already with those 6 steps.

The more you put the re-questioning in the front of the test box queue, e.g 1Q next, the easier will it be to actually remember the last screen.
Don’t make it too easy :slight_smile:

What is your opinion?
What have been the results of your tests and learning behavior?

Do you think it makes always sense to active this script, especially for “difficult vocabulary”?

Maybe it is not that bad that it takes 2-4 multiple learning sessions to learn harder vocabulary which you almost can not remember in a single session, therefore not being able to always plant all 6 steps?

For easier words I agree with you that it is often a pain that you have to manually restart a learning session just to finish planting OR using the “infinitive learning/review” user script.

Thanks again for your hard work!

Best regards

Thomas

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My thinking was that:

  • when learning it’s sufficient to get the 6 ‘exposures’ regardless if you get them right
  • when you get one wrong, having the test screen come up right away helps to reinforce the correct answer, especially for those instantly forgettable words or phrases.

Having said that, I do take your point; sometimes it can feel like you’re not being tested and you’re just being forced to type the same thing twice.

One thing that also made me think twice about pushing it further back was that I didn’t want it to cause weird quirks later in the session, such as
a) the word coming up twice in succession later on, which could be annoying, or
b) chains of boxes later on which introduce a new word being interrupted by the test box.

I played around with learning new words with the box pushed 3 boxes back and with some code to prevent case a) from happening, and it also seems to work well. I’ve just updated the script (0.0.2) with this change.

I think the aim is to have the learning session be as efficient and therefore frustration-free as possible; if you notice yourself getting bored, or having a really tough time answering correctly, either way is sub-optimal (the auto learn script has been great for dealing with those easy ones!). I quite like getting to the end of the learning session and having everything planted, even if it includes a difficult word which I got wrong half the time. If I come back to review it in 4 hours and get it wrong again it’s not the end of the world; my brain will absorb it over time. This is much better than leaving the word half planted for god knows how long and having the memory of it be in a much worse condition whenever you get round to doing another learning session.

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This is great. I try to learn 20 items on seven courses every day, so not having to stop the learning session and reset when I get something wrong streamlines my day. Thanks again.

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Hi,

thanks for your detailed longer reply and script update.
I will gladly test your changes.

I think I am happy with your push back, as I have the review / mem page activated, thus this will somehow restore Memrise default’s behavior that I do not have to re-type the question too often too soon.

If I would have de-activated the re-typing screen on incorrect answers (review / mem page), well then it probably would make very much sense to show the “next question” as the “re-enforce typing the correct answer” (next flower step) of the same question, just the very next question / test box, instead of pushing it further 3 test boxes back.

I somehow like the idea that I have to re-type my incorrect answer immediately, to help to correctly remember the word / phrase and all Portuguese special pronunciation characters.

When you get re-tested on the same word / phrase ~3+ test boxes later (mixed with other words/phrases to be recalled) you are back on the normal “did I learn it / did I even understand it / did I remember it - and even better for “typing” flower steps: Did I recall it” correctly track.

Thanks for you great ideas and all efforts!

1 Like
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I tested updated script V0.0.2 with the PT BR 3 course and level 9 human parts.

Sometimes I seem to burn-out on ~3+ quite difficult words, which I can not remember well, no matter how often the system shows me these and let me type the word(s) into the text box.

As the “learning retries” script does not give up that fast, it happend to me, that I got presented 3 (to 4/5) of those words.
And the green bar continued, and continued…no end in near distance…

One solution with the active “infinitive learning” user script (in parallel) is to actively end the session (especially if you might be almost burnt out typing all those difficult words) by clicking on the “words number” in the above header.

The other solution is to try to go on, fight with those ~3+ words and hope that you can flower plant any the “better words” which have already reached steps 4 or 5 so with reaching step 6 you would have at least finished the others.
This can take a longer time, as those 3+ words repeat and repeat over again and again, even they are now pushed back 3 test boxes with V0.0.2.

This immediately got me to the point for those 3+ very difficult words (after endless of incorrect (typing) repetitions):

  • where I wanted to press a button to PUSH THOSE WORDS BACK IN THE TEST QUEUE to the VERY END of the learning session and focus more and more on the other words (whose I may still be able to plant, even when almost burnt out)

  • and if I am still unable to plant those 3+ words to step 6:
    To press another button where I can actively remove ONLY the current selected difficult learning word (word per word, question test by test) from the currently active “never ending” learning session.

The green bar took ages to go right and probably would have never, as I entered (recalled) all those 3+ words wrong again and over again.

So my temporary solution was to actively end the session with the “infinitive learning” user script terminate lesson workaround (see above).

If I see 3-4/5 very difficult words I can not manage to plant (either (typing) step 3 to 4, 4 to 5 or 5 to 6 or even failing earlier multiple-choice step tests) in one learning sesson - no problem, I could try again in 4/5, 8, 12, 24h.
It might work much better for those 3+ difficult words some hours later … or the next day.

This would be the normal behavior of Memrise without your script V0.0.2 with the drawback of having to leave too many words <step6 or other (maybe not so difficult) words unlearned (step0).

The good thing with “infinite learning” + “learning retries” script combination is, that it:

  • allows you to try to plan all >15 words from a level with not so many words, let’s say 20-25, max 30 (there are levels with 60-70 words, e.g DuoLingo courses), especially the easier ones

  • that NOT all learning words (from one learning session) are at the SAME difficulty level

  • you may really want to finish flower planting the rest of of the words to step 6 or at least try to get them to steps 3-4 WITHOUT of those 3(-5) quite difficult ones from first session

What is your opinion?

Should an “almost words learning burn out” and fighting with (only 3(-5)) difficult words have a user stop a learning session and continue later some hours or the next day??

Do we not need the above described “skip word” complexity?

One of my personal goals is to learn as many useful words as I can - in a short / suitable time.
I already know that I can probably not learn ALL of those words, especially without any context.

I read in a blog that it is okay to NOT REMEMBER some words.
You have no reason for them to be learned RIGHT NOW. e.g you can not actively use them, you can not put them into context,…

Because of this I think that 1-3 (5) more difficult words should NOT stop me from planting the other “good / easier words” from a level and getting the rest of the level’s words scheduled in the normal review interval.

I read above that you take the other route:
Plant all words, 6 steps, and go into the review interval no matter how good you knew the word (or not).

How do you fight with those 1-3 difficult words when you can not remember/recall them one, two or three test boxes later, as you have to type them into?

Personally I still like the idea, that I knew those learned words at least six times without too much cheating :wink:

Greetings

Thomas

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Do we not need the above described “skip word” complexity?

Ideally not! As you say, it’s more ideal to have all the words mixed together.

How do you fight with those 1-3 difficult words when you can not remember/recall them one, two or three test boxes later, as you have to type them into?

Good question! I can relate to what you have said, and I agree it really sucks to repeatedly get a word (or phrase) wrong again and again.
I think the experience of typing out the word correctly from memory that first time is really important to reinforce it, which was something v.0.0.1 did quite successfully.

I’ve played around with the behaviour when you get a word wrong and think I’ve come up with an improvement:

  • If you answer wrong you will be tested on the word straight after. This is similar to the original behaviour in v0.0.1 of the script, with the difference being that answering it correctly won’t contribute to planting the word.
  • The original test box (which does contribute to planting) is pushed ahead, similar to v0.0.2, but by a number of places based on your streak on that word (between 1 and 3).

I’ve updated the script (v0.0.3) as well the wrong answer skips script (which is affected) to accommodate this behaviour.

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Hey, @cooljingle, looks like the new update messed with this script.

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Thanks for the heads up! I just updated both this and the infinite learning userscript to fix breaking changes.

On a side note, I had some issues with Memrise Turbo not switching to the next screen automatically, wonder if it’s related.

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Thanks!

Haven’t used Turbo, but wouldn’t be surprised. This update seems to have messed with a lot of random features (like reviewing doesn’t show what the course is, or clicking on levels after learning words brings you to the main page of the course instead of the level you were learning from, or clicking on show answer after you’ve gotten the word correct marks the answer as wrong). Not sure what we got in return.

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Hi, for some reason it has stopped working since yesterday, I just updated it also and it still does not work. By not work I mean it does not automatically load words beyond the 100, thanks and appreciate the script!

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@cooljingle, it’s working for me. However, since I updated it, there seems to be an error, and I don’t know whether to attribute it to the script or Memrise’s update.

Sometimes, in a learning session, say I’m learning “she” and “he”. I will get “he” correct, then “she”, “he” will pop up again, but this time, I can’t click on multiple choice or type the answer. I have to quit the session and hope the bug doesn’t occur again. If it does, rinse and repeat.

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I think I found the issue - hopefully it’s fixed now (v0.0.5)

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script is fixed after the recent memrise update (0.0.6)

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Is it supposed to be fixed? I have 0.0.6 too and it doesn’t work. Could it be that some of my other scripts are preventing it from running? (audio provider, auto learn, learning retries)