Cited by 161Memory Processes and InfluencesMemory and Neural MechanismsVisual and Cognitive Learning Processes

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The Testing Effect and the Retention Interval: Questions and Answers

Toppino, Thomas C., Cohen, Michael S.·2009·Experimental Psychology

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Abstract

People learn from tests. Providing tests often enhances retention more than additional study opportunities, but is this testing effect mediated by processes related to retrieval that are fundamentally different from study processes? Some previous studies have reported that testing enhances retention relative to additional studying, but only after a relatively long retention interval. To the extent that this interaction with retention interval dissociates the effects of studying and testing, it may provide crucial evidence for different underlying processes. However, these findings can be questioned because of methodological differences between the study and the test conditions. In two experiments, we eliminated or minimized the confounds that rendered the previous findings equivocal and still obtained the critical interaction. Our results strengthen the evidence for the involvement of different processes underlying the effects of studying and testing, and support the hypothesis that the testing effect is grounded in retrieval-related processes.

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Authors: Toppino, T. C., & Cohen, M. S.
Affiliations: Villanova University (US)
ORCID: Toppino, Thomas C.
Cohen, Michael S.
Venue: Experimental Psychology
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing Group
Published: 2009-01
Volume: 56
Issue: 4
Pages: 252-257
ISSN: 0949-3964 (ISSN-L)
1618-3169
2190-5142
DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169.56.4.252
OpenAlex: W1684927232
Cited by: 160
References: 19
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 5
FWCI: 2.74
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
Keywords: testing effect, retention interval, memory retention, retrieval practice, retrieval processes
MeSH terms: Attention, Educational Measurement, Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Paired-Associate Learning, Practice, Psychological, Problem Solving, Retention, Psychology, Vocabulary, Multilingualism

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The Testing Effect and the Retention Interval: Questions and Answers

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