Project 1A
Part 1
Rawson, K. A., & Kintsch, W. (2005). Rereading effects depend on the time of test.
Rereading is a study strategy commonly recommended to students when preparing for upcoming
examinations and one they often use. Previous research: better text learning after rereading versus 1
reading of a text.
Goals of the present research:
1. Examine rereading effects under both immediate and delayed testing.
Almost all previous research on rereading effects has used immediate testing. But most students face
delays between study and test. And the ultimate goal of learning strategies or tools is to promote
long-term, durable learning and not just transient gains.
2. Further investigate the effects of distributed rereading.
In almost all previous research, the advantage of rereading over a single reading trial has been shown
using massed rereading. Few studies have examined (a) the extent to which distributed rereading
also yields a performance advantage over single reading and (b) the extent to which performance is
greater for massed or distributed rereading
Massed rereading: when the first and subsequent study trials are administered in immediate
succession.
Distributed rereading: when the second study trial is administered at some delay after the initial trial.
In 2 experiments, 423 college students read a text once (single reading), twice in massed fashion
(massed rereading), or twice with 1 week between trials (distributed rereading). Half of the
participants were tested immediately after the final study trial on their memory of the text, and the
other half were tested 2 days later. Immediate test: performance was greater after massed versus
single reading; performance for distributed rereading was not significantly greater than after single
reading. Delayed test: performance was greater after distributed versus single reading; performance
for massed rereading and single reading no longer differed significantly.
Experiment 1
Method
235 undergraduates from University of Colorado. Participants randomly assigned to 1 of 6
experimental groups, defined by the factorial combination of two independent variables: study
(single, massed, or distributed) and test (immediate or delayed).
Text about carbon sequestration, a method for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
Test consisted of a self-paced recall test in which participants were provided with the subtitle
from one of the text sections and were asked to type in everything they could remember from that
section. After that, participants were asked 12 short-answer comprehension questions, which tapped
information from all sections in the text.
Results and Discussion
Significant main effect of study group, significant main effect of time of test, and significant
interaction.
Part 1
Rawson, K. A., & Kintsch, W. (2005). Rereading effects depend on the time of test.
Rereading is a study strategy commonly recommended to students when preparing for upcoming
examinations and one they often use. Previous research: better text learning after rereading versus 1
reading of a text.
Goals of the present research:
1. Examine rereading effects under both immediate and delayed testing.
Almost all previous research on rereading effects has used immediate testing. But most students face
delays between study and test. And the ultimate goal of learning strategies or tools is to promote
long-term, durable learning and not just transient gains.
2. Further investigate the effects of distributed rereading.
In almost all previous research, the advantage of rereading over a single reading trial has been shown
using massed rereading. Few studies have examined (a) the extent to which distributed rereading
also yields a performance advantage over single reading and (b) the extent to which performance is
greater for massed or distributed rereading
Massed rereading: when the first and subsequent study trials are administered in immediate
succession.
Distributed rereading: when the second study trial is administered at some delay after the initial trial.
In 2 experiments, 423 college students read a text once (single reading), twice in massed fashion
(massed rereading), or twice with 1 week between trials (distributed rereading). Half of the
participants were tested immediately after the final study trial on their memory of the text, and the
other half were tested 2 days later. Immediate test: performance was greater after massed versus
single reading; performance for distributed rereading was not significantly greater than after single
reading. Delayed test: performance was greater after distributed versus single reading; performance
for massed rereading and single reading no longer differed significantly.
Experiment 1
Method
235 undergraduates from University of Colorado. Participants randomly assigned to 1 of 6
experimental groups, defined by the factorial combination of two independent variables: study
(single, massed, or distributed) and test (immediate or delayed).
Text about carbon sequestration, a method for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
Test consisted of a self-paced recall test in which participants were provided with the subtitle
from one of the text sections and were asked to type in everything they could remember from that
section. After that, participants were asked 12 short-answer comprehension questions, which tapped
information from all sections in the text.
Results and Discussion
Significant main effect of study group, significant main effect of time of test, and significant
interaction.
