Test Enhanced Learning Mark A. McDaniel Washington University

Acknowledgements Co-investigators Roddy Roediger Kathleen McDermott Funding Institute of Education Sciences Grant #R305H030339 Seth Goodman was an undergrad RA who helped with some of the data collection / entry.

Testing effect in the Laboratory Tests better than additional (study) presentation of material for final test performance Retrieval appears to be a potent memory modifier, with increasing retrieval demands (short answer) enhancing later retention

Test-Enhanced Learning Central idea: Taking a test enhances learning and leads to better retention over time Critical distinction: Testing for Assessment vs. Testing to enhance Learning

Kang, McDermott, & Roediger Short answer Multiple choice Read answer Control/filler Within-Subjects, after each article 8 items/condition INTERVENING EXPERIENCE Read 4 Current Directions articles ~15 min each N=48 ENCODING FINAL TEST Mult. choice (16): 4 from each of the 4 prior conditions Short answer (16): 4 from each of the 4 prior conditions 3 days

CRUCIALLY, TAKING AN INTERVENING SHORT ANSWER TEST BOOSTED FINAL PERFORMANCE MORE THAN JUST READING THE TEST ANSWERS Error bars are 95% C.I. MC SA Read statements None 1 INITIAL TEST 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 Proportion Correct 0.5 .87 .94 .83 .69 . 0.4 0.3 0.2 .53 .57 .46 .27 0.1 FINAL MC FINAL SA

Butler & Roediger Stimuli: Art history lectures (30 min.) Three Learning Sessions Participants watch a lecture then receive either a short MC quiz, SA quiz, or additional study of a lecture summary Final Critical Test Participants return to take a final short answer exam after a delay of one month

Final Short Answer Test Proportion Correct Initial Learning Condition Butler & Roediger

Regardless of the form of the final test, initial attempts to retrieve the answer aided performance relative to the no-test condition (i.e., the testing effect). An intervening SA test aided later performance more than did an intervening MC test. Crucially, the intervening SA condition outperformed the read statements (summary) condition. (Recall tests require more challenging retrieval processes than recognition tests) Educational application: Better use of SA quizzes to enhance learning, instead of additional reading of target facts. If initial performance is low, optimal procedure may be to provide corrective feedback.

Results for Experiment 1 Error bars are 95% C.I. Final MC Final SA Initial test MC SA Read statements Control (Filler) .87 (.18) .80 (.22) .88 (.15) .74 (.25) .62 (.29) .48 .51 (.26) .33 (.27)

TESTING EFFECT IN THE CLASSROOM? Variability in students’ studying Variable intervals between study and quizzes Variable intervals between quizzes and final criterial tests (with ad lib quizzing) Instructors reluctant to re-present identical questions for quiz and final test

McDaniel, Anderson, & Morrisette In WEB-based Brain and Behavior university course, each week students received 10 facts: Read the facts to review Multiple choice quiz on the facts Short answer (fill in blank) quiz on the facts

Sample Facts Set A: 1. The term for the plane that bisects the body into right and left halves comes from the Latin word “sagitta”. 2. The amygdala (Latin for "almond") consists of several subdivisions with diverse functions, including emotional regulation. Set B: 1. The term for the plane that bisects the body into front and back halves comes from the Latin word “corona”. 2. The amygdala (Latin for "almond") consists of several subdivisions with diverse functions, including the perception of odor.

Multiple choice test on 10 facts All preganglionic axons, whether sympathetic or parasympathetic, release _________ as a neurotransmitter. *a. acetylcholine b. epinephrine c. norepinephrine d. adenosine

Short-Answer test on 10 facts All preganglionic axons, whether sympathetic or parasympathetic, release _________ as a neurotransmitter.

Read 10 facts All preganglionic axons, whether sympathetic or parasympathetic, release acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter. *a. I have read the above statement.

Unit Tests Given after three topics (weeks) Multiple choice tests Constructed so that question asked in a different way from that on quizzes: Quizzed: All preganglionic axons, whether sympathetic or parasympathetic, release _________ as a neurotransmitter. Unit test: All ___________ axons, whether sympathetic or parasympathetic, release acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter.

(Brain and Behavior Class) Unit Exam Performance (Brain and Behavior Class)

Final Exam Given during the last week of the semester Multiple choice tests Constructed so that half the questions were asked in the same way as the quiz and half were asked in a different way from that on quizzes (same as the Unit)

Final Exam Performance (Brain and Behavior Class)

Conclusions An initial short answer test aids later performance more than an initial multiple choice test (Tests requiring more effortful retrieval processes most effective) In Classroom Situations, tests valuable for enhancing learning, whereas additional reading of target facts may produce little additional learning If initial performance is low, then test enhanced learning may require feedback.