Testing Promote Transfer with Authentic Educational Materials

Abstract

In the present study, we were interested in examining whether testing of text material enhances memory (i.e., remember questions), learning (i.e., application questions), or both. We examined the benefits of testing relative to a commonly practiced study technique (i.e., highlighting) using authentic educational materials. Specifically, participants studied a chapter on social psychology using either a testing or highlighting strategy and returned a week later to complete a final test that consisted of three different types of questions: 1) applications taken from the quiz (quiz-verbatim), 2) applications taken from the text (text-verbatim), or 3) new application questions about the tested concepts (transfer). Because we were interested in examining how well people are able to transfer knowledge from one context to another, both the initial and final tests consisted of only application questions. Depending on whether testing enhances only retention or also higher order learning, different predictions can be made.

Committee Chair

Mark McDaniel

Committee Members

David Balota, Henry Roediger

Comments

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7SF2T5S

Degree

Master of Arts (AM/MA)

Author's Department

Psychology

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Winter 12-15-2013

Language

English (en)

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