The longer and more difficult the motor problem, the more advisable it is to break it into units and learn both the units and their connections under massed conditions¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1921 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? It is uneconomical to learn a hard problem as a whole, whether effort is massed or distributed. → Pechstein 1921

Evidence¶

Pechstein 1921¶

Pechstein, L. A. (1921). Massed vs. Distributed Effort in Learning. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0070137

q2 · i? · causal · r1

The author's fourth conclusion from the maze experiments, stated in the results discussion of Table I: whole-method learning of a difficult maze is uneconomical under either temporal distribution, so the part method with massed effort is advised.

"Fourth, the longer and more difficult the problem, the more advisable to break it up into units and learn both the units and the connection of these under massed conditions, it being uneconomical to learn the hard problem as a whole, irrespective whether effort is massed or distributed."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The massed-versus-distributed question is tied to the whole-versus-part question: the hard problem remains hard unless learned in parts under massed conditions — related
• Short maze units learned under massed conditions connect into a serial whole with great economy, whereas units learned under distributed conditions connect only with extreme difficulty — related
• For short maze problems, massed learning effort is more economical than distributed effort in trials, time and errors, for both rats and human adults — related
• For rats, whole and part maze learning show no difference in trials, but the whole method saves time and errors — related