The first versions of Anki (ca 2006) were based on spaced repetition algorithms developed for a piece of software called SuperMemo, which came out 21 years earlier in 1985 [0].
Piotr Wozniak, the author of SuperMemo, writes a lot about spaced repetition and memory in general. What you're describing are basically items 1 and 2 of his "Twenty rules of formulating knowledge" [1]: "Do not learn if you don't understand," and "Learn before you memorize." It's an extremely useful article if you're a heavy Anki user.
Piotr Wozniak, the author of SuperMemo, writes a lot about spaced repetition and memory in general. What you're describing are basically items 1 and 2 of his "Twenty rules of formulating knowledge" [1]: "Do not learn if you don't understand," and "Learn before you memorize." It's an extremely useful article if you're a heavy Anki user.
0: https://supermemo.guru/wiki/SuperMemo_Algorithm:_30-year-lon...
1: https://www.supermemo.com/en/archives1990-2015/articles/20ru...