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¶

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? The hard problem becomes easy only if learned under massed conditions by the part method, and remains hard when learned as a whole under either condition or in parts under distributed conditions. → 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 fifth conclusion, framing the paper's central thesis that the distribution-of-effort question cannot be separated from the whole-versus-part question in difficult motor learning.

"The hard problem becomes easy if it is learned under massed conditions by the part method and in no other way; it remains hard if it is learned as a whole under massed or distributed conditions, or even in parts under distributed conditions."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• 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 — 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 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• 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