Unsuccessful retrieval attempts confer a smaller benefit to future performance than successful retrievals, whose advantage grows with item difficulty¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Evidence quality · No study behind this claim is a peer-reviewed article with a DOI: it rests on an ERIC document (a report, conference paper or thesis). It is kept because a design page cites it; treat it as a lead to check, not an established finding.

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The model showed a benefit from prior incorrect trials (estimate 1.47) smaller than prior correct trials (estimate 1.82), but interactions with format and depth made successful practice much more impactful, e.g., more than twice as impactful in the Applied SA condition with one correct and one incorrect prior trial. → Maass 2016

Evidence¶

Maass 2016¶

Maass, J.K. and Pavlik Jr., P.I. (2016). Modeling the Influence of Format and Depth during Effortful Retrieval Practice. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Educational Data Mining. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED592715

q3 · i? · causal · r2

PFA-based logistic regression of practice data (5,696 observations, 178 participants): Count of Prior Correct estimate 1.82 vs Count of Prior Incorrect 1.47. In the Applied SA condition with one prior correct and one prior incorrect trial, "successful practices is more than twice as impactful on future performance as previous unsuccessful practices".

"However, the current model also indicates a benefit from unsuccessful retrieval, although to a smaller degree."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Pretesting enhances learning — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Higher self-reported confusion predicts a much larger negative effect on future performance when learners answer more questions incorrectly — related
• Successful retrieval practice of more difficult items (short answer, applied) yields greater future predicted success than successful retrieval of easier items (multiple choice, factual) — related
• Retrieval Failure Reduces Benefit — a broader claim this one bears on
• Retrieval practice improves long-term retention — a broader claim this one bears on
• Differential scaffold benefits were more salient for the more difficult learning concept — related
• Map B was self-scored as easier to learn than Map A during the test/study phase — related