Different rates of forgetting following study versus test trials.
Two experiments investigated recall following two study conditions, (1) repeated test: a study trial followed by multiple recall trials, and (2) repeated study: multiple study trials with no tests. At a retention interval of 5 minutes, repeated study produced a higher level of recall than repeated test. When the retention interval was extended, forgetting was much more rapid in the study condition, with the repeated test manipulation leading to higher recall at an interval of 7 days. We conclude that study and test trials have different effects upon memory, with study trials promoting memory acquisition, and test trials enhancing the retrieval process itself, which protects against subsequent forgetting.
Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. mwheeler@nimbus.temple.edu
Mark A
MA
Wheeler
Michael
M
Ewers
Joseph F
JF
Buonanno
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012057:Reinforcement, Verbal; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D014706:Verbal Learning