How to Write Good Prompts

Relatedly, the appropriate scale of a “focused” prompt depends on the scale of the concepts you’ve internalized. This particular set of aromatics is so deeply familiar as a group that I’d write prompts which treat it as a unit (“Italian aromatics”) instead of memorizing individual ingredients and quantities.

Retrieval practice prompts should be precise about what they’re asking for. Vague questions will elicit vague answers, which won’t reliably light the bulbs you’re targeting.

Explanation-type prompts are especially valuable when studying procedures: they can help you avoid rote learning and build a deeper understanding. Note that in this particular case, we were only able to traverse one level of “why.” Why low heat? A cleaner flavor, says the recipe. Why does low heat produce a cleaner flavor? It doesn’t say. You might... See more

As a form, recipes already involve a somewhat more explicit knowledge structure than you’d find in ordinary prose.

Stock is made by simmering flavorful ingredients in water. By varying the ingredients, we can produce different types of stock: chicken stock, vegetable stock, mushroom stock, pork stock, and so on. But unlike a typical broth, stock isn’t meant to have a distinctive flavor that can stand on its own. Instead, its job is to provide a versatile founda... See more

This particular prompt is unlikely to require any extra help, but if you really find yourself struggling, you can add a prompt specifically intended to reinforce the association:

Q. Mnemonic device for carrots in chicken stock?

A. rhymes with “parrots”: picture a flock of parrots flying with carrots in their mouths, dropping them into a pot of stock

In our stock recipe, the verbs aren’t very important: “bring,” “lower,” “strain.” You’re cooking ingredients in water at various temperatures, so those actions are obvious. But conditions or heuristics describing when to move between verbs are important: first when the water reaches a simmer, then after ninety minutes passes. And while it’s not wor... See more

We could write a prompt which simply asks: “What do you need to make chicken stock?” But this isn’t precise enough: should we recall the quantities or just the names of the ingredients? How much chicken stock are we making? This isn’t focused enough: because it’s asking for so many details simultaneously, it’s unlikely to sharply activate all the m... See more

A wheel that can be turned though nothing else moves with it, is not a part of the mechanism.

— Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations