title: On the placement of practice questions during study.
abstract: Retrieval practice improves retention of information on later tests. A question remains: When should retrieval occur during learning-interspersed throughout study or at the end of each study period? In a lab experiment, an online experiment, and a classroom study, we aimed to determine the ideal placement (interspersed vs. at-the-end) of retrieval practice questions. In the lab experiment, 64 subjects viewed slides about APA style and answered short-answer practice questions about the content or restudied the slides (restudy condition). The practice questions either appeared 1 every 1-2 slides (interspersed condition), or all at the end of the presentation (at-the-end condition). One week later, subjects returned and answered the same questions on a final test. In the online experiment, 175 subjects completed the same procedure. In the classroom study, 62 undergraduate students took quizzes as part of class lectures. Short-answer practice questions appeared either throughout the lectures (interspersed condition) or at the end of the lectures (at-the-end condition). Nineteen days after the last quiz, students were given a surprise final test. Results from the 3 experiments converge in demonstrating an advantage for interspersing practice questions on the initial tests, but an absence of this advantage on the final test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell.
authors.forename: Yana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University.
authors.forename: Ludmila D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Karpicke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult