Award-winning science reporter Benedict Carey sifts through decades of education research and landmark studies to uncover the truth about how our brains absorb and retain information.-- From publisher.

Introduction: Broaden the margins -- The story maker : the biology of memory -- The power of forgetting : a new theory of learning -- Breaking good habits : the effect of context on learning -- Spacing out : the advantage of breaking up study time -- The hidden value of ignorance : the many dimensions of testing -- The upside of distraction : the role of incubation in problem solving -- Quitting before you're ahead : the accumulating gifts of percolation -- Being mixed up : interleaving as an aid to comprehension -- Learning without thinking : harnessing perceptual discrimination -- You snooze, you win : the consolidating role of sleep -- Conclusion: The foraging brain -- Appendix: Eleven essential questions.