scholarly journals Prior episodic learning and the efficacy of retrieval practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan W. Gupta ◽  
Steven C. Pan ◽  
Timothy C. Rickard
Keyword(s):  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
Effect Theory ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Event

AbstractIn three experiments we investigated how the level of study-based, episodic knowledge influences the efficacy of subsequent retrieval practice (testing) as a learning event. Possibilities are that the efficacy of a test, relative to a restudy control, decreases, increases, or is independent of the degree of prior study-based learning. The degree of study-based learning was manipulated by varying the number of item repetitions in the initial study phase between one and eight. Predictions of the dual-memory model of test-enhanced learning for the case of one study-phase repetition were used as a reference. Results support the hypothesis that the advantage of testing over restudy is independent of the degree of prior episodic learning, and they suggest that educators can apply cued-recall testing with the expectation that its efficacy is similar across varying levels of prior content learning. Implications for testing effect theory are discussed.

scholarly journals Pan and Sana (2021) Pretesting vs. posttesting: Errorful generation, prequestions, and retrieval practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven C. Pan ◽  
Faria Sana
Keyword(s):  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Expository Text ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Practice Test ◽  
Practice Tests ◽  
Text Passage ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Retention Intervals ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
And Training

The use of practice tests to enhance learning, or test-enhanced learning, ranks among the most effective of all pedagogical techniques. We investigated the relative efficacy of pretesting (i.e., errorful generation) and posttesting (i.e., retrieval practice), two of the most prominent practice test types in the literature to date. Pretesting involves taking tests before to-be-learned information is studied, whereas posttesting involves taking tests after information is studied. In five experiments (combined n = 1,573), participants studied expository text passages, each paired with a pretest or a posttest. The tests involved multiple-choice (Experiments 1-5) or cued recall format (Experiments 2-4) and were administered with or without correct answer feedback (Experiments 3-4). On a criterial test administered 5 minutes or 48 hours later, both test types enhanced memory relative to a no-test control, but pretesting yielded higher overall scores. That advantage held across test formats, in the presence or absence of feedback, at different retention intervals, and appeared to stem from enhanced processing of text passage content (Experiment 5). Thus, although the benefits of posttesting are more well-established in the literature, pretesting is highly competitive with posttesting and can yield similar, if not greater, pedagogical benefits. These findings have important implications for the incorporation of practice tests in education and training contexts.

scholarly journals Pan and Rickard (2018) Transfer of test-enhanced learning meta-analysis (preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven C. Pan
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Worked Examples ◽  
Positive Transfer ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Moderator Effect ◽  
Medical Diagnoses ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Attempting recall of information from memory, as occurs when taking a practice test, is one of the most potent training techniques known to learning science. However, does testing yield learning that transfers to different contexts? In the present article, we report the findings of the first comprehensive meta-analytic review into that question. Our review encompassed 192 transfer effect sizes extracted from 122 experiments and 67 published and unpublished articles (N = 10,382) comprising over 40 years of research. A random-effects model revealed that testing can yield transferrable learning as measured relative to a non-testing reexposure control condition (d = 0.40, 95% CI [0.31, 0.50]). That transfer of learning is greatest across test formats, to application and inference questions, to problems involving medical diagnoses, and to mediator and related word cues; it is weakest to rearranged stimulus-response items, to untested materials seen during initial study, and to problems involving worked examples. Moderator analyses further indicated that response congruency and elaborated retrieval practice, as well as initial test performance, strongly influence the likelihood of positive transfer. In two assessments for publication bias (using PET-PEESE and various selection methods), the moderator effect sizes were minimally affected. However, the intercept predictions were substantially reduced, often indicating no positive transfer when none of the aforementioned moderators are present. Overall, our results motivate a three-factor framework for transfer of test-enhanced learning and have practical implications for the effective use of practice testing in educational and other training contexts.

Does Item Difficulty Affect the Magnitude of the Retrieval Practice Effect? An Evaluation of the Retrieval Effort Hypothesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Felipe Rodrigues de Lima ◽  
Sebastião Venâncio ◽  
Júlia Feminella ◽  
Luciano Grüdtner Buratto
Keyword(s):  
Recall Test ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Nonsignificant Trend ◽  
Final Test ◽  
Practice Phase ◽  
Effort Hypothesis

Abstract Retrieving information by testing improves subsequent retention more than restudy, a phenomenon known as the retrieval practice effect. According to the retrieval effort hypothesis (REH), difficult items require more retrieval effort than easier items and, consequently, should benefit more from retrieval practice. In two experiments, we tested this prediction. Participants learned sets of easy and difficult Swahili–Portuguese word pairs (study phase) and repeatedly restudied half of these items and repeatedly retrieval practiced the other half (practice phase). Forty-eight hours later, they took a cued-recall test (final test phase). In both experiments, we replicated both the retrieval practice and the item difficulty effects. In Experiment 1 (N = 51), we found a greater retrieval practice effect for easy items, MDifference = .26, SD = .17, than for difficult items, MDifference = .19, SD = .19, t(50) = 2.01, p = .05, d = 0.28. In Experiment 2 (N = 28), we found a nonsignificant trend—F(1, 27) = 2.86, p = .10, $$ {\upeta}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 $$ = .10—toward a greater retrieval practice effect for difficult items, MDifference = .28, SD = .22, than for easy items, MDifference = .18, SD = .21. This was especially true for individuals who benefit from retrieval practice (difficult: MDifference = .32, SD = .18; easy: MDifference = .20, SD = .20), t(24) = –2.08, p = .05, d = –0.42. The results provide no clear evidence for the REH and are discussed in relation to current accounts of the retrieval practice effect.

scholarly journals Test-Enhanced Learning: The Potential for Testing to Promote Greater Learning in Undergraduate Science Courses

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. es4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia J. Brame ◽  
Rachel Biel
Keyword(s):  
Science Classroom ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Repeated Retrieval ◽  
Learning Event ◽  
Rote Memory

Testing within the science classroom is commonly used for both formative and summative assessment purposes to let the student and the instructor gauge progress toward learning goals. Research within cognitive science suggests, however, that testing can also be a learning event. We present summaries of studies that suggest that repeated retrieval can enhance long-term learning in a laboratory setting; various testing formats can promote learning; feedback enhances the benefits of testing; testing can potentiate further study; and benefits of testing are not limited to rote memory. Most of these studies were performed in a laboratory environment, so we also present summaries of experiments suggesting that the benefits of testing can extend to the classroom. Finally, we suggest opportunities that these observations raise for the classroom and for further research.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Long-Term Memory Enhancement Following Retrieval Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Marin-Garcia ◽  
Aaron T. Mattfeld ◽  
John D. E. Gabrieli
Keyword(s):  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Test Group ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Contrast Study ◽  
Memory Enhancement ◽  
Term Memory

Retrieval practice, relative to further study, leads to long-term memory enhancement known as the “testing effect.” The neurobiological correlates of the testing effect at retrieval, when the learning benefits of testing are expressed, have not been fully characterized. Participants learned Swahili-English word-pairs and were assigned randomly to either the Study-Group or the Test-Group. After a week delay, all participants completed a cued-recall test while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The Test-Group had superior memory for the word-pairs compared to the Study-Group. While both groups exhibited largely overlapping activations for remembered word-pairs, following an interaction analysis the Test-Group exhibited differential performance-related effects in the left putamen and left inferior parietal cortex near the supramarginal gyrus. The same analysis showed the Study-Group exhibited greater activations in the dorsal MPFC/pre-SMA and bilateral frontal operculum for remembered vs. forgotten word-pairs, whereas the Test-Group showed the opposite pattern of activation in the same regions. Thus, retrieval practice during training establishes a unique striatal-supramarginal network at retrieval that promotes enhanced memory performance. In contrast, study alone yields poorer memory but greater activations in frontal regions.

scholarly journals P121: Does test-enhanced learning improve success rates of ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous insertion? A randomized-controlled trial

CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S118-S118
Author(s):  
A. Slomer ◽  
J. Chenkin
Keyword(s):  
Testing Effect ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Skill Training ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Ultrasound Guided ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning

Introduction: Optimising teaching techniques when introducing learners to new skills such as ultrasound guided peripheral IV insertion (UGPIV) is essential due to the time and resource intense nature of skills learning. The testing effect has been demonstrated to be effective in improving learner retention, however there is little research evaluating the testing effect on the acquisition of technical skills in medicine. This study aims to determine whether test-enhanced learning improves learner performance of UGPIV. Methods: A prospective randomized control trial is ongoing with medical students on rotation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Participants are randomized to one of two study groups, the control group (CG) and the test-enhanced learning group (TEG). Each group receives a teaching session lasting 1.5 hours surrounding ultrasound guidance for peripheral IV insertion. The TEG receives a formal evaluation of the skill during the last 15 minutes of that session, whereas the CG has continued practice time. Subjects in both groups are being evaluated two weeks later to compare skill performance using an objective structured assessment of technical skills. Results: Data collection is ongoing and is expected to be completed with an recruitment of 40 by March 31st. Conclusion: Given the importance and resource intensive nature of technical skill training it is important to have an understanding of the most efficient ways to teach new techniques. The results from this study will help provide evidence on the testing effect as a method of improving competency and retention for ultrasound guided procedures.

scholarly journals Learning new word meanings from story reading: the benefit of immediate testing

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11693
Author(s):  
Rachael C. Hulme ◽  
Jennifer M. Rodd
Keyword(s):  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Story Reading ◽  
New Meanings

This study investigated how word meanings can be learned from natural story reading. Three experiments with adult participants compared naturalistic incidental learning with intentional learning of new meanings for familiar words, and examined the role of immediate tests in maintaining memory of new word meanings. In Experiment 1, participants learned new meanings for familiar words through incidental (story reading) and intentional (definition training task) conditions. Memory was tested with cued recall of meanings and multiple-choice meaning-to-word matching immediately and 24 h later. Results for both measures showed higher accuracy for intentional learning, which was also more time efficient than incidental learning. However, there was reasonably good learning from both methods, and items learned incidentally through stories appeared less susceptible to forgetting over 24 h. It was possible that retrieval practice at the immediate test may have aided learning and improved memory of new word meanings 24 h later, especially for the incidental story reading condition. Two preregistered experiments then examined the role of immediate testing in long-term retention of new meanings for familiar words. There was a strong testing effect for word meanings learned through intentional and incidental conditions (Experiment 2), which was non-significantly larger for items learned incidentally through stories. Both cued recall and multiple-choice tests were each individually sufficient to enhance retention compared to having no immediate test (Experiment 3), with a larger learning boost from multiple-choice. This research emphasises (i) the resilience of word meanings learned incidentally through stories and (ii) the key role that testing can play in boosting vocabulary learning from story reading.

Putting action into testing: Enacted retrieval benefits long-term retention more than covert retrieval

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 2093-2105
Author(s):  
Veit Kubik ◽  
Fredrik U Jönsson ◽  
Mario de Jonge ◽  
Artin Arshamian
Keyword(s):  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Recall Test ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
Long Term Retention ◽  
Motor Actions

Retrieval practice improves long-term retention. However, it is currently debated if this testing effect can be further enhanced by overtly producing recalled responses. We addressed this issue using a standard cued-recall testing-effect paradigm with verb–noun action phrases (e.g., water the plant) to prompt motor actions as a specifically powerful response format of recall. We then tested whether motorically performing the recalled verb targets (e.g., ?–the plant) during an initial recall test ( enacted retrieval) led to better long-term retention than silently retrieving them ( covert retrieval) or restudying the complete verb–noun phrases ( restudy). The results demonstrated a direct testing effect, in that long-term retention was enhanced for covert retrieval practice compared to restudy practice. Critically, enactment during retrieval further improved long-term retention beyond the effect of covert memory retrieval, both in a congruent noun-cued recall test after 1 week (Experiment 1) and in an incongruent verb-cued recall test of nouns after 2 weeks (Experiment 2). This finding suggests that successful memory retrieval and ensuing enactment contribute to future memory performance in parts via different mechanisms.

scholarly journals Test-Enhanced Learning and Incentives in Biology Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. ar40
Author(s):  
Bryn St. Clair ◽  
Paul Putnam ◽  
Harold L. Miller ◽  
Ross Larsen ◽  
Jamie L. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Incentive Level ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Recent Laboratory

This study examined the testing effect in a postsecondary biology course with low- and high-incentive treatments and measured student learning. Although exposure to exams predicted better learning, incentive level did not moderate this effect, an outcome that contradicted recent laboratory findings that higher incentives decreased the testing effect.

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