CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

A Comparison of Massed and Spaced Testing

Parker-Reed, SSWAC

Two of the most effective study techniques available to all learners are retrieval practice (taking practice tests instead of rereading material) and distributed practice (scheduling study sessions over time instead of in a single longer session). Most studies examining retrieval practice have administered immediate tests. The current study examined the benefits of massed versus spaced testing. On the first day of testing, all participants read four passages on various topics (e.g. Venice, KGB). Next, they reread one of the passages and took a test on another passage. After a 20-minute working memory filler task, participants reread the third passage and took a test on the fourth passage. The order of the passages and tasks was counterbalanced across subjects. In total, there were four between-subjects conditions: reread/test/reread/test, reread/test/test/reread. test/reread/reread/test, and test/reread/test/reread. On the second day of testing, participants took a final test on all four passages and completed three additional tasks that measured working memory. These measures examined working memory, reading comprehension, and vocabulary knowledge. Results on the final test were analyzed to see which type of spacing condition of the initial testing promoted better recall on the final test. The cognitive battery measures were also analyzed to examine whether working memory and reading comprehension modulated the effect of testing.

https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/181