title: The efficacy of self-paced study in multitrial learning.
abstract: In 2 experiments we investigated the efficacy of self-paced study in multitrial learning. In Experiment 1, native speakers of English studied lists of Dutch-English word pairs under 1 of 4 imposed fixed presentation rate conditions (24 × 1 s, 12 × 2 s, 6 × 4 s, or 3 × 8 s) and a self-paced study condition. Total study time per list was equated for all conditions. We found that self-paced study resulted in better recall performance than did most of the fixed presentation rates, with the exception of the 12 × 2 s condition, which did not differ from the self-paced condition. Additional correlational analyses suggested that the allocation of more study time to difficult pairs than to easy pairs might be a beneficial strategy for self-paced learning. Experiment 2 was designed to test this hypothesis. In 1 condition, participants studied word pairs in a self-paced fashion without any restrictions. In the other condition, participants studied word pairs in a self-paced fashion but total study time per item was equated. The results showed that allowing self-paced learners to freely allocate study time over items resulted in better recall performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
authors.forename: Huib K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Tabbers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pecher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Montana.
authors.forename: Yoonhee
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeelenberg
mesh_terms: D056344:Executive Function; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D007858:Learning; D011939:Mental Recall; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D014825:Vocabulary