Topic 2

Question 1

geometry study (interleaving)

Answer 1

RQ: How does blocked practice compare to interleaved practice for learning geometry?
M:
1. participants study for 2 weeks
2. take a test 1 week after studying
C: blocked practice vs interleaved practice
- blocked = AAABBBCCC
- interleaved = ABCBBACCAB
R: (during practice) - blocked group did better during practice b/c they can repeat procedures easier
(final test): blocked dropped down 60% and interleave improved
A: Interleave gives us a stable understanding of how much knowledge we know before the test AND its a better way to practice cause its CONSISTENT

Question 2

Complex Motor Skills Study (interleave)

Answer 2

RQ: How does blocked practice compare to interleaved practice for learning motor skills?
M: Participants learn to act out different movements; 10 days after they take a final test.
C: 2x2 design study method x testing method (both are just blocked and random practice/testing)
R(practice)-B(testing), B-B, R-R, B(practice)-R(testing).
R: (practice session): blocked practice group is more successful than random practice.
R:(10 days later - final test): B-B and R-R did about the same (in the middle), B-R did the worse, R-B did the BEST!
A: interleaving practice is always best even if your test is blocked and it gives longer term knowledge

Question 3

High school students - Why Does Interleaving Work?

Answer 3

RQ: 1. How does blocked practice compare to interleaved practice for learning geometry?
2. What kinds of mistakes do students make based on how they practice?
M: 1. Participants learn to compute different attributes of prisms
2. Take a test 1 DAY after studying
C: blocked practice vs interleaved practice
- all participants tested with a random test
R (during studying): Blocked group slayed and interleave did well but not better
R (tested 1 day after): blocked group dropped soooo much and interleave stayed about the same
Errors: Fabrication errors - forgetting what you know so you make it up.
Discrimination errors - use wrong formula
R of errors: fabrication error was about equal for both groups. Blocked group made so many discrimination errors
A: interleave provides stable feedback about performance. Forces you to practice identifying the type of problem and associated solution - memory and critical thinking

Question 4

Permastore

Answer 4

RQ: How long does memory last in long term storage?
M: tested over 700 ppl who had taken Spanish in high school up to 50 years prior
- groupings: participants had different number of courses and different grade levels
R: (early forgetting) - 0 to 5 years you forget a lot. (permastore) 5-25 years we remember a lot even without additional practice. (late forgetting) 30-50+ years you forget again
A: without additional practice we are able to remember a lot

Question 5

Classic Spacing Study

Answer 5

RQ: Does the spacing of study session impact retention in the long term?
M: participants study for a test -> 6 practice sessions in total
3 groups:
1. no spacing/cramming (6 times in 1 day)
2. low spacing (every day for 6 days)
3. high spacing (every 30 days for 6 months)
Final test is 30 days after last session
R (before test 30 days later, this is from practice tests right after studying): no spacing did best, then low spacing, then high spacing did bad.
R(final test 30 days later): high spacing did the best, then low spacing did next best and pretty good, then no spacing did bad and lost a lot of knowledge.
A: if you want to remember something for a long time just study it once a month
Note: the spacing of the study sessions, in terms of how much time there was between consecutive sessions

Question 6

short vs long format courses

Answer 6

RQ: does the spacing of a course impact long term learning outcomes
M/C: students enrolled in the same course but one was 8 weeks (short format) and the other 6 months (long format.
tested at two points: 1. midway through the course
2. immediately after the course
R (during the course and after the course); 6-month/long-term format did way better
A: high spacing is best!

Question 7

optimal study gap

Answer 7

RQ: what is the best gas between 2 study sessions?
initial study session –> (study gap)—> restudy session –> (retention interval) –> final test
M: 1. study for a test (learn 32 facts)
2. after a certain study gap, they study again
- asked twice about each fact with feedback
3. after a certain retention interval, they take a final test
C: 1. different study gaps (study gap in days)
2. different retention interval (tested in x amount of days later)
R: with time we forget things, but forgetting isn’t linear. using optimal study gap 64% increase in performance relative to cramming. Studying again too early led to worse long-term outcomes. How often we study depends on how much later the test is. 20% of RI is ideal. Divide the time between now and the test by 6 to get your optimal study gap.

Question 8

the exponential value of studying

Answer 8

1. people with the 1 year retention interval did poorly in the optimal spacing gap study
2. but people in the permastore study were able to remember much more even 20 years later…
   (if your test is in 30 days, you should study at least once every 5 days)
   - this suggests that we can study less frequently while our memory stays consistent
   - regular and repeated studying of material over time leads to slower forgetting!!!