Class experiment pattern: a practiced class and unpracticed control classes taking identical pre- and post-tests to study practice, transfer, and interference¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal),q2· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study
Description¶
The article demonstrates a class experiment in which one class practices a skill (translating English into a code) for twenty-two trials while control classes take the same five tests without intervening practice, twelve working days apart. Students plot their own learning curves, compute percentage gains, compare morning and evening performances, and write discussions of transfer and interference. The design lets a class illustrate individual differences, learning-curve characteristics, correlation, and facilitation or interference, with the article noting that "An unpracticed or control group is needed in order to test this question."
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Test intervals should be the same in all groups; the article notes circumstances made this impossible in the present experiment, with intervals of sixteen, nine, and nineteen calendar days.
Constraints¶
- Materials must be tasks in which the student is not already practiced and in which improvement is possible within a relatively short practice; the article calls the tasks used artificial and recommends more useful ones.
Target Learners¶
- college students in educational psychology
Learning Goals¶
- understanding of practice effects, transfer, interference, and experimental method
Claims¶
- Code Practice Partial Transfer Three Tests [+M]
- Code Practice No Transfer Digit Letter Substitution [+M]
Related Designs¶
Examples¶
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Key Sources¶
- Dearborn, W. F., and Brewer, J. M. (1918). Methods and Results of a Class Experiment in Learning. The Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. IX, No. 2. https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/9/2/
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
class-experiment-practice-control-design |
title |
Class experiment pattern: a practiced class and unpracticed control classes taking identical pre- and post-tests to study practice, transfer, and interference |
description |
The article demonstrates a class experiment in which one class practices a skill (translating English into a code) for twenty-two trials while control classes take the same five tests without intervening practice, twe... |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-23 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — dearborn-1918 |
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