The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention

Learning is usually thought to occur during episodes of studying, whereas retrieval of information on testing simply serves to assess what was learned. We review research that contradicts this traditional view by demonstrating that retrieval practice is actually a powerful mnemonic enhancer, often p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in cognitive sciences 2011-01, Vol.15 (1), p.20-27
Main Authors: Roediger, Henry L, Butler, Andrew C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cues
Educational Measurement
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Knowledge of Results (Psychology)
Learning. Memory
Memory
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
Practice (Psychology)
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Retention (Psychology)
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Learning is usually thought to occur during episodes of studying, whereas retrieval of information on testing simply serves to assess what was learned. We review research that contradicts this traditional view by demonstrating that retrieval practice is actually a powerful mnemonic enhancer, often producing large gains in long-term retention relative to repeated studying. Retrieval practice is often effective even without feedback (i.e. giving the correct answer), but feedback enhances the benefits of testing. In addition, retrieval practice promotes the acquisition of knowledge that can be flexibly retrieved and transferred to different contexts. The power of retrieval practice in consolidating memories has important implications for both the study of memory and its application to educational practice.
ISSN:1364-6613
1879-307X
DOI:10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.003