If you've read the 20 rules for learning (and the write-up [here](/series
/twenty-rules-for-learning/)), then you'll know about interference. Interference
describes the effect where two pieces of information conflict in your memory,
making you struggle to recall either of them properly.
The opposite effect is also possible. Often, learning similar or related
information makes it easier to recall. This is because you're building a web of
interconnected material, which makes it much easier to recall and use what
you've learnt. You could call this complementary memory.
For example, it's easier to remember how to write a character when you
frequently see it in what you're reading. The inverse is also true. Another
example comes from knowing sets of words that overlap in the characters they
use, or characters that share components. All these links contribute to better
recall and understanding.
Taking advantage of complentary memory
Complementary memory can be used to your advantage when learning Chinese. You
get the benefit of it when you learn from real Chinese text and audio which
naturally contain links and relations. You can further add to the effect by
actively seeking out complementary material to add to your repertoire.
Some techniques that work well for building complementary memory are
sentence branching,
defeat in detail and
the rabbit hole effect. It's also good
to seek out material that is related to what you're learning: related words,
collocations, antonyms and combinations are all good places to start.
You can incorporate the complementary material into your studies through your
daily input by reading releated texts or finding texts that incorporate the same
vocabulary or grammar structures, or doing the same with the audio you listen
to. This can be taken a step further when it comes to output: you can set
yourself writing tasks involving target material, and aim to incorporate as much
complementary material as possible. As always, communicating with native
speakers is excellent as it naturally exposes you to complementary material in
an active way.
Complementary memory and interference
One issue to be aware of when actively seeking out material to contribute to
complementary memory is that you might accidentally create interference. That
would be quite a shame as it's the exact opposite of what you want to achieve.
The first rule of combating interference applies here: be aware of interference
and try to notice it as soon as possible. From there, you can start using
tactics to deal with it.
Interference frequently occurs when the way you remember something actually
relies on something outside of the information you're trying to learn. For
example, if your textbook or flashcard deck contains only one word related to
aeroplanes, you may remember it easily just because it's “that aeroplane word”.
However, once you learn more words related to aeroplanes, this route of recall
doesn't work as well anymore and you get interference. The solution here is
actually to increase the set of words you know related to the topic to ensure
you're recalling the actual word or concept and not background information about
where you learnt it from.
In this way, seeking out complementary memory is actually a good approach to
dealing with interference. Expand your knowledge in the problem area and work
hard on improving your active recall there, and the interference will go away.
This is not about memorising
As always, remember that learning a language is not about memorising things.
Memorisation and memory-training may come into it as a way to create exercises,
but they are always a means to an end with language learning. Those exercises
provide an effective and consistent means to practice, building fluency and
create active knowledge. You're acquiring a skill, not storing data. Using
complementary memory is another approach to developing that skill.