Encoding Strategy and the Testing Effect in Free Recall

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter P. J. L. Verkoeijen ◽  
Peter F. Delaney ◽  
Remy M. J. P. Rikers
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Encoding Strategy

scholarly journals Self-testing produces superior recall of both familiar and unfamiliar muscle information

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Dobson ◽  
Tracy Linderholm ◽  
Mary Beth Yarbrough
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Human Muscle ◽  
Superior Recall ◽  
Self Testing

Dozens of studies have found learning strategies based on the “testing effect” promote greater recall than those that rely solely on reading; however, the advantages of testing are often only observed after a delay (e.g., 2–7 days later). In contrast, our research, which has focused on kinesiology students learning kinesiology information that is generally familiar to them, has consistently demonstrated that testing-based strategies produce greater recall both immediately and after a delay. In an attempt to understand the discrepancies in the literature, the purpose of the present study was to determine if the time-related advantages of a testing-based learning strategy vary with one's familiarity with the to-be-learned information. Participants used both read-only and testing-based strategies to repeatedly study three different sets of information: 1) previously studied human muscle information (familiar information), 2) a mix of previously studied and previously unstudied human muscle information (mixed information), and 3) previously unstudied muscle information that is unique to sharks (unfamiliar information). Learning was evaluated via free recall assessments administered immediately after studying and again after a 1-wk delay and a 3-wk delay. Across those three assessments, the read-only strategy resulted in mean scores of 29.26 ± 1.43, 15.17 ± 1.29, and 5.33 ± 0.77 for the familiar, mixed, and unfamiliar information, respectively, whereas the testing-based strategy produced scores of 34.57 ± 1.58, 16.90 ± 1.31, and 8.33 ± 0.95, respectively. The results indicate that the testing-based strategy produced greater recall immediately and up through the 3-wk delay regardless of the participants' level of familiarity with the muscle information.

The testing effect in free recall is associated with enhanced organizational processes

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 995-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin M. Zaromb ◽  
Henry L. Roediger
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Organizational Processes

Establishing and explaining the testing effect in free recall for young children.

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 994-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy L. Lipowski ◽  
Mary A. Pyc ◽  
John Dunlosky ◽  
Katherine A. Rawson
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Testing Effect

Individual differences in encoding strategies and free recall dynamics

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 2495-2508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nash Unsworth ◽  
Ashley L Miller ◽  
Matthew K Robison
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Free Recall ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Normal Variation ◽  
Free Recall Task ◽  
Prior List ◽  
Performance Examining ◽  
Encoding Strategies ◽  
Encoding Strategy

Individual differences in encoding strategies and their relation to free recall dynamics were examined. Participants performed a delayed free recall task and following each list reported which strategies they may have used on the prior list. Individual differences in effective encoding strategy use were positively correlated with overall recall performance. Examining recall dynamics suggested that variation in effective encoding strategy use was associated with greater recall, particularly on non-primacy items and slightly more organised recall in terms of recall transitions. However, no differences were found for recall of items at the first serial position, in recall initiation, or in how quickly participants recalled items. Collectively, the results are consistent with the notion that effective encoding strategies increase the strength of items, resulting in a higher likelihood of recovering the items during recall. Individual differences in control processes in the form of effective encoding strategies are critically important for understanding normal variation in memory abilities.

Die Entwicklung des strategischen Gedächtnisses im Laufe der Grundschulzeit

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hünnerkopf ◽  
Veronika Kron-Sperl ◽  
Wolfgang Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Serial Learning

Zusammenfassung. Es werden Ergebnisse der Würzburger Längsschnittstudie dargestellt, in der der Entwicklungsverlauf des strategischen Gedächtnisses vom letzten Kindergartenjahr bis zum Ende der vierten Klasse in halbjährigem Abstand untersucht wurde. Für eine Stichprobe von ca. 100 Kindern konnte das in der Münchner LOGIK-Studie gefundene Muster des sprunghaften Strategieerwerbs für die Sortierstrategie bestätigt werden, während sich bei der Wiederholungsstrategie kein bedeutsamer Unterschied in der Art des Strategieerwerbs zeigte. Der kombinierte Gebrauch von Sortier- und Wiederholungsstrategie brachte Vorteile bei der Abrufleistung der Sort-Recall-Aufgabe, nicht aber der Serial Learning-Free-Recall-Aufgabe. Für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten wird der Einsatz einer Aufgabe zur Untersuchung der Strategieentwicklung empfohlen.

Limitations to the Spacing Effect

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter P. J. L. Verkoeijen ◽  
Remy M. J. P. Rikers ◽  
Henk G. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Phase Retrieval ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Spacing Effect ◽  
Word List ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Learning Condition

Abstract. The spacing effect refers to the finding that memory for repeated items improves when the interrepetition interval increases. To explain the spacing effect in free-recall tasks, a two-factor model has been put forward that combines mechanisms of contextual variability and study-phase retrieval (e.g., Raaijmakers, 2003 ; Verkoeijen, Rikers, & Schmidt, 2004 ). An important, yet untested, implication of this model is that free recall of repetitions should follow an inverted u-shaped relationship with interrepetition spacing. To demonstrate the suggested relationship an experiment was conducted. Participants studied a word list, consisting of items repeated at different interrepetition intervals, either under incidental or under intentional learning instructions. Subsequently, participants received a free-recall test. The results revealed an inverted u-shaped relationship between free recall and interrepetition spacing in both the incidental-learning condition and the intentional-learning condition. Moreover, for intentionally learned repetitions, the maximum free-recall performance was located at a longer interrepetition interval than for incidentally learned repetitions. These findings are interpreted in terms of the two-factor model of spacing effects in free-recall tasks.

Articulatory Rehearsal Is More Than Refreshing Memory Traces

2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoji Nishiyama ◽  
Jun Ukita
Keyword(s):  
Free Recall ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Information ◽  
Free Recall Task ◽  
Study Item ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Memory Traces ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Serial Position Curves

This study examined whether additional articulatory rehearsal induced temporary durability of phonological representations, using a 10-s delayed nonword free recall task. Three experiments demonstrated that cumulative rehearsal between the offset of the last study item and the start of the filled delay (Experiments 1 and 3) and a fixed rehearsal of the immediate item during the subsequent interstimulus interval (Experiments 2 and 3) improved free recall performance. These results suggest that an additional rehearsal helps to stabilize phonological representations for a short period. Furthermore, the analyses of serial position curves suggested that the frequency of the articulation affected the durability of the phonological representation. The significance of these findings as clues of the mechanism maintaining verbal information (i.e., verbal working memory) is discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document