Overt retrieval also outperforms covert retrieval for key terms, but with a smaller advantage than for definitions¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i1small
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i1 For participants who practiced and were tested on terms in Experiment 2, overt retrieval beat covert retrieval with a smaller effect (gav = 0.32). → Michelle L. Rivers 2025
Evidence¶
Michelle L. Rivers 2025¶
Michelle L. Rivers, Paige E. Northern, Sarah K. Tauber. (2025). Does Retrieval Demand Moderate the Effectiveness of Covert Retrieval Practice? Comparing Covert and Overt Retrieval Practice for Learning Key Terms and Definitions. Educational Psychology Review (2025) 37:61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10040-4
q3 · i1 · causal · r2
In Experiment 2, for participants who practiced and were tested on key terms, overt retrieval (M = 0.74) beat covert retrieval (M = 0.65) with printed effect size gav = 0.32, a smaller effect than for definitions, consistent with the retrieval-demand moderation.
"Recall was also higher following overt retrieval compared to covert retrieval (M = 0.65, SE = 0.03), t(94) = 3.92, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.04, 0.14], g av = 0.32."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Both overt and covert retrieval practice outperform restudy when practice and test match (the testing effect) — related
- Covert retrieval is the most time-efficient practice strategy, yielding the largest gains per minute of practice for both terms and definitions — related
- The overt-retrieval advantage does not significantly differ by definition complexity (number of idea units), contrary to a retrieval-dynamics prediction — related
- Overt retrieval practice produces higher delayed recall of definitions than covert retrieval practice for learners studying declarative concepts — a broader claim this one bears on
- Transfer across response formats is incomplete: practicing terms benefited definition recall, but practicing definitions showed no overt-over-covert advantage on a term test — related
- Response format (overt vs. covert retrieval) did not affect final cued recall in spaced retrieval practice, and list structure (blocked vs. random; proportion of overt trials) did not moderate the effect. — reports the opposite
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
overt-beats-covert-retrieval-key-terms-smaller |
title |
Overt retrieval also outperforms covert retrieval for key terms, but with a smaller advantage than for definitions |
description |
Overt retrieval also outperforms covert retrieval for key terms, but with a smaller advantage than for definitions |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2025 |
source_checked |
2026-10-22 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-21 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — michelle-l-rivers-2025 |
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