Maintenance of Foreign Language Vocabulary and the Spacing Effect

In a 9-year longitudinal investigation, 4 subjects learned and relearned 300 English-foreign language word pairs. Either 13 or 26 relearning sessions were administered at intervals of 14, 28, or 56 days. Retention was tested for 1.2.3. or 5 years after training terminated. The longer intersession intervals slowed down acquisition slightly, but this disadvantage during training was offset by substantially higher retention. Thirteen retraining sessions spaced at 56 days yielded retention comparable to 26 sessions spaced at 14 days. The retention benefit due to additional sessions was independent of the benefit due to spacing, and both variables facilitated retention of words regardless of difficulty level and of the consistency of retrieval during training. The benefits of spaced retrieval practice to long-term maintenance of access to academic knowledge areas are discussed.

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Spaced Retrieval Practice Increases College Students’ Short- and Long-Term Retention of Mathematics Knowledge

Educational Psychology Review ◽

10.1007/s10648-015-9349-8 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 853-873 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Robin F. Hopkins ◽

Keith B. Lyle ◽

Jeff L. Hieb ◽

Patricia A. S. Ralston

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Retrieval Practice ◽

Spaced Retrieval ◽

Term Retention ◽

Mathematics Knowledge ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Long Term Retention

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Expanding retrieval practice promotes short-term retention, but equally spaced retrieval enhances long-term retention.

Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition ◽

10.1037/0278-7393.33.4.704 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 704-719 ◽

Cited By ~ 108

Author(s):

Jeffrey D. Karpicke ◽

Henry L. Roediger

Keyword(s):

Retrieval Practice ◽

Short Term ◽

Spaced Retrieval ◽

Term Retention ◽

Long Term Retention

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Using spaced retrieval practice to learn foreign language vocabulary

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e527352012-262 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica M. Logan ◽

Kathleen B. McDermott ◽

Henry L. Roediger

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Retrieval Practice ◽

Spaced Retrieval

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Working Memory in the Acquisition of Vocabulary and Syntax: Putting Language in Good Order

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A ◽

10.1080/713755604 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 234-250 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

Nick C. Ellis ◽

Susan G. Sinclair

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Sequence Information ◽

Short Term ◽

Good Order ◽

Metalinguistic Knowledge ◽

Term Maintenance ◽

Better Than

This paper argues that working memory is heavily involved in language acquisition as (a) a major part of language learning is the learning of sequences, (b) working memory allows short-term maintenance of sequence information, and (c) short-term rehearsal of sequences promotes the consolidation of long-term memories of language sequences. It first reviews evidence supporting this position. Next it presents an experiment that demonstrates that subjects encouraged to rehearse foreign language (FL) utterances are better than both silent controls and subjects who are prevented from rehearsal by articulatory suppression at (a) learning to comprehend and translate FL words and phrases, (b) explicit metalinguistic knowledge of the detailed content of grammatical regularities, (c) acquisition of the FL forms of words and phrases, (d) accuracy in FL pronunciation, and (e) some aspects of productive (but not receptive) grammatical fluency and accuracy. Finally, it describes possible mechanisms underlying these effects.

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Retrieval practice in the form of online homework improved information retention more when spaced 5 days rather than 1 day after class in two physiology courses

AJP Advances in Physiology Education ◽

10.1152/advan.00104.2017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 305-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caitlin N. Cadaret ◽

Dustin T. Yates

Keyword(s):

Student Retention ◽

Retrieval Practice ◽

Online Homework ◽

Information Retention ◽

Final Exam ◽

Desirable Difficulties ◽

Anatomy And Physiology ◽

Spaced Retrieval ◽

The Impact

Studies have shown that practicing temporally spaced retrieval of previously learned information via formal assessments increases student retention of the information. Our objective was to determine the impact of online homework administered as a first retrieval practice 1 or 5 days after introduction of physiology topics on long-term information retention. Students in two undergraduate courses, Anatomy and Physiology (ASCI 240) and Animal Physiological Systems (ASCI 340), were presented with information on a specific physiological system during each weekly laboratory and then completed an online homework assignment either 1 or 5 days later. Information retention was assessed via an in-class quiz the following week and by a comprehensive final exam at semester’s end (4–13 wk later). Performance on homework assignments was generally similar between groups for both courses. Information retention at 1 wk did not differ due to timing of homework in either course. In both courses, however, students who received homework 5 days after class performed better on final exam questions relevant to that week’s topic compared with their day 1 counterparts. These findings indicate that the longer period between introducing physiology information in class and assigning the first retrieval practice was more beneficial to long-term information retention than the shorter period, despite seemingly equivalent benefits in the shorter term. Since information is typically forgotten over time, we speculate that the longer interval necessitates greater retrieval effort in much the same way as built-in desirable difficulties, thus allowing for stronger conceptual connections and deeper comprehension.

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