Peter Brown, Mark McDaniel, and Henry Roediger open by presenting research demonstrating that many intuitively popular study techniques — highlighting, extended re-reading — often prove significantly less effective for genuine long-term learning than commonly assumed.

Why challenging these intuitive assumptions matters:

• Many widely-used study techniques, despite feeling productive and being intuitively popular, show weaker research support for genuine long-term learning compared to less intuitively obvious but more effective alternative techniques
• The authors' extensive cognitive science research review directly challenges these common intuitive study assumptions with rigorous evidence
• This opening establishes the book's foundational research-challenging premise, motivating its subsequent detailed evidence-based alternative technique guidance

This opening establishes the book's foundational premise, challenging common intuitive study technique assumptions with rigorous cognitive science research evidence.