Research article summary (published 28 Feb 2008):

The effects of tests on learning and forgetting.

Full Abstract

In three experiments, we investigated whether memory tests enhance learning and reduce forgetting more than additional study opportunities do. Subjects learned obscure facts (Experiments 1 and 2) or Swahili-English word pairs (Experiment 3) by either completing a test with feedback (test/study) or receiving an additional study opportunity (study). Recall was tested after 5 min or 1, 2, 7, 14, or 42 days. We explored forgetting by means of an ANOVA and also by fitting a power function to the data. In all three experiments, testing enhanced overall recall more than restudying did. According to the power function, in two out of three experiments, testing also reduced forgetting more than restudying did, although this was not always the case according to the ANOVA. We discuss the implications of these results both for approaches to measuring forgetting and for the use of tests in promoting long-term retention. The stimuli used in these experiments may be found at www.psychonomic.org/archive.

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Author information

Author/s: Carpenter, Shana K (SK); Pashler, Harold (H); Wixted, John T (JT); Vul, Edward (E);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0109, USA. scarpenter@ucsd.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Memory & cognition (Mem Cognit), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Mar; vol 36 (issue 2) : pp 438-48

Dates: Created 2008/04/22; Completed 2008/06/05;

PMID: 18426072, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult Attention Concept Formation Female Humans Male

Mental Recall Middle Aged Paired-Associate Learning Practice (Psychology) Retention (Psychology) Verbal Learning

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