scholarly journals The within-list distributed practice effect: Tests of the varied context and varied encoding hypotheses

1976 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 741-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Stash Maskarinec ◽  
Charles P. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Practice Effect ◽  
Distributed Practice

Optimizing Distributed Practice

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Cepeda ◽  
Noriko Coburn ◽  
Doug Rohrer ◽  
John T. Wixted ◽  
Michael C. Mozer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Practice Effect ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Test Accuracy ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Final Recall ◽  
Visual Objects ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Gap Effects

More than a century of research shows that increasing the gap between study episodes using the same material can enhance retention, yet little is known about how this so-called distributed practice effect unfolds over nontrivial periods. In two three-session laboratory studies, we examined the effects of gap on retention of foreign vocabulary, facts, and names of visual objects, with test delays up to 6 months. An optimal gap improved final recall by up to 150%. Both studies demonstrated nonmonotonic gap effects: Increases in gap caused test accuracy to initially sharply increase and then gradually decline. These results provide new constraints on theories of spacing and confirm the importance of cumulative reviews to promote retention over meaningful time periods.

Team Practice Schedules: What Do We Know?

1998 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Rhodenizer ◽  
Clint A. Bowers ◽  
Maureen Bergondy
Keyword(s):  
Retention Interval ◽  
Team Learning ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Practice Schedule ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Term Retention

Given the prevalence of teams in many work environments, it is important to determine the practice schedules that optimize their learning. Thus, the effect of practice schedule on team learning was investigated. Teams practiced under either a massed or distributed practice schedule and were tested under a short-term or longer-term retention interval. These results support the distribution of practice effect for team learning; however, the results suggest that the known benefits for longer-term retention that distributed practice has on individual learning may not apply to learning by 2-person teams under the present conditions.

Understanding the Distributed Practice Effect

2014 ◽  
Vol 222 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina E. Küpper-Tetzel
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Fine Tune

The distributed practice effect is one of the most researched memory effects in cognitive psychology. Beneficial distributed practice effects for long-term retention have been demonstrated in different domains and they are remarkably large in size, too. However, despite strong effects, this research field still lacks a unified theory offering explanations for a wide range of findings. This article reviews empirical studies on the distributed practice effect that have immediate relevance for educational settings. Against the backdrop of this review, the article discusses theory candidates and ways of specifying them for empirical tests using nonstandard statistical methods. I conclude that future studies will have to fine-tune theories to strengthen the significance of empirical results and to allow for better recommendations to educators. This promises to increase the enthusiasm to systematically implement distributed practice in instruction routines and bridge psychological research and educational practice.

scholarly journals Beyond the Distributed Practice Effect: Is Distributed Learning Also Effective for Learning With Non-repeated Text Materials?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Elisabeth Greving ◽  
Tobias Richter
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Distributed Learning ◽  
Judgments Of Learning ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Seventh Graders ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Metacognitive Judgments ◽  
Massed Learning ◽  
Over Time

Distributed learning is often recommended as a general learning strategy, but previous research has established its benefits mainly for learning with repeated materials. In two experiments, we investigated distributed learning with complementary text materials. 77 (Experiment 1) and 130 (Experiment 2) seventh graders read two texts, massed vs. distributed, by 1 week (Experiment 1) or 15 min (Experiment 2). Learning outcomes were measured immediately and 1 week later and metacognitive judgments of learning were assessed. In Experiment 1, distributed learning was perceived as more difficult than massed learning. In both experiments, massed learning led to better outcomes immediately after learning but learning outcomes were lower after 1 week. No such decrease occurred for distributed learning, yielding similar outcomes for massed and distributed learning after 1 week. In sum, no benefits of distributed learning vs. massed learning were found, but distributed learning might lower the decrease in learning outcomes over time.

Bang for Your Buck: A Single-Case Experimental Design Study of Practice Amount and Distribution in Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 3160-3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Maas ◽  
Christina Gildersleeve-Neumann ◽  
Kathy Jakielski ◽  
Nicolette Kovacs ◽  
Ruth Stoeckel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Childhood Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Massed Practice ◽  
Treatment Conditions

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine 2 aspects of treatment intensity in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS): practice amount and practice distribution. Method Using an alternating-treatments single-subject design with multiple baselines, we compared high versus low amount of practice, and massed versus distributed practice, in 6 children with CAS. Conditions were manipulated in the context of integral stimulation treatment. Changes in perceptual accuracy, scored by blinded analysts, were quantified with effect sizes. Results Four children showed an advantage for high amount of practice, 1 showed an opposite effect, and 1 showed no condition difference. For distribution, 4 children showed a clear advantage for massed over distributed practice post treatment; 1 showed an opposite pattern, and 1 showed no clear difference. Follow-up revealed a similar pattern. All children demonstrated treatment effects (larger gains for treated than untreated items). Conclusions High practice amount and massed practice were associated with more robust speech motor learning in most children with CAS, compared to low amount and distributed practice, respectively. Variation in effects across children warrants further research to determine factors that predict optimal treatment conditions. Finally, this study adds to the evidence base supporting the efficacy of integral stimulation treatment for CAS. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9630599

How Useful is the Power Law of Practice for Recognizing Practice in Concentration Tests?

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Hagemeister
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Rate Decrease ◽  
Small Practice

Abstract. When concentration tests are completed repeatedly, reaction time and error rate decrease considerably, but the underlying ability does not improve. In order to overcome this validity problem this study aimed to test if the practice effect between tests and within tests can be useful in determining whether persons have already completed this test. The power law of practice postulates that practice effects are greater in unpracticed than in practiced persons. Two experiments were carried out in which the participants completed the same tests at the beginning and at the end of two test sessions set about 3 days apart. In both experiments, the logistic regression could indeed classify persons according to previous practice through the practice effect between the tests at the beginning and at the end of the session, and, less well but still significantly, through the practice effect within the first test of the session. Further analyses showed that the practice effects correlated more highly with the initial performance than was to be expected for mathematical reasons; typically persons with long reaction times have larger practice effects. Thus, small practice effects alone do not allow one to conclude that a person has worked on the test before.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document