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¶

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? Rats that learned the four short sections under massed conditions all effected the serial connections, several without a single error. → Pechstein 1921 q2 i? When units are learned under distributed conditions the complex act of connection is extremely difficult; under massed conditions it becomes extremely simple. → 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

In the rat experiment, after learning Sections I-IV under massed conditions on successive days, each rat was set the problem of connecting the units into serial order the following day; all succeeded, several errorlessly. The author calls this "the most striking feature of the entire situation".

"Not only did each member of the group effect the perfect connections under massed conditions, but several made the complex step without securing a single error."

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
• 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 — a broader claim this one bears on
• 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
• Maze units retain near-complete control when run in changed combinations, so contiguity of functioning does not cause the waste — related