The influence of testing on memory, monitoring, and control
Date
2011
Authors
Littrell, Megan K., author
DeLosh, Edward, advisor
Cleary, Anne, committee member
De Miranda, Michael, committee member
Kraiger, Kurt, committee member
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Abstract
The current set of experiments investigated the role of testing in enhancing subsequent memory performance, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. The current study also assessed whether testing improves assessments of learning and influences subsequent study behaviors that serve to further enhance learning. In Experiments 1 and 2 participants studied lists of words in an initial phase and then either restudied or took a memory test on the words in an intervening phase. They were also asked to predict the likelihood that they would recall each item on a later memory test and indicate whether or not they would like another chance to restudy the item before the final memory test. The difference between the two experiments was that in Experiment 1 participants were allowed to restudy the items they chose, whereas they were not allowed to restudy those items in Experiment 2. Results for both experiments showed that initial testing compared to restudying enhanced final memory accuracy, and produced stronger correlations between predictions of recall and actual recall and between predictions and restudy choices. Experiment 3 examined the effects of testing on predictions of memory and the allocation of study time given to each item. Additionally, some participants' study time choices were honored, while other participants' choices were not. This manipulation was included to examine the differential effects of having control over what materials are restudied, depending on whether they have been simply restudied or subjected to prior test. Overall, the data suggest that testing enhances memory performance as well as relative metacognitive judgments.
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Subject
control
judgments of learning
memory
metacognition
monitoring
testing effect