Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The generation effect: a meta-analytic review.

Sharon Bertsch1, Bryan J Pesta, Richard Wiscott

  • 1University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, USA. bertsch@pitt.edu

Memory & Cognition
|July 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genetics and Scientific Values.

The Hastings Center report·2025
Same author

Prospects for reducing group mean differences on cognitive tests via item selection strategies.

The Journal of applied psychology·2024
Same author

Updated IQ and Well-Being Scores for the 50 U.S. States.

Journal of Intelligence·2022
Same author

Are there vocal cues to human developmental stability? Relationships between facial fluctuating asymmetry and voice attractiveness.

Evolution and human behavior : official journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society·2021
Same author

Timing of peripubertal steroid exposure predicts visuospatial cognition in men: Evidence from three samples.

Hormones and behavior·2020
Same author

Meta-analytic evidence for effects of mindfulness training on dimensions of self-reported dispositional mindfulness.

Psychological assessment·2016
Same journal

The properties of personal semantics.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Music enhances associative generalization: Evidence from a memory integration task.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Video, text, and memory: An emotional verbal overshadowing effect.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Limited protective effects of multilingualism against age-related cognitive decline.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Validation of illustrated texts: Can pictures raise awareness of inconsistencies?

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

4I remember (and forget) your happy smiling face: Directed forgetting of emotionally expressive faces of in-group and out-group members.

Memory & cognition·2026
See all related articles

Generating information, like producing synonyms, significantly improves memory recall compared to simply reading it. This generation effect, a key finding in cognitive psychology, shows a substantial memory benefit.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • The generation effect is a well-documented phenomenon in memory research.
  • It describes the enhanced recall of self-generated information compared to read information.
  • Understanding its magnitude and moderators is crucial for learning theories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively assess the magnitude of the generation effect across numerous studies.
  • To identify and analyze potential moderators influencing the strength of the generation effect.
  • To provide empirical evidence for theoretical explanations of the generation effect.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a meta-analysis of 86 studies.
  • Synthesized 445 effect sizes related to the generation effect.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examined 11 potential moderator variables impacting memory performance.

    • Main Results:

    • The overall generation effect size was .40, indicating a significant memory advantage for generated information.
    • Substantial variability in effect sizes was observed across studies.
    • Moderator analyses revealed factors influencing the strength of the generation effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The generation effect provides a robust memory benefit, nearly half a standard deviation over reading.
    • Moderator analysis helps refine theories explaining why generating information enhances memory.
    • Findings support the development of more effective learning strategies based on active information generation.