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Related Experiment Videos

Testing beyond words: using tests to enhance visuospatial map learning.

Shana K Carpenter1, Harold Pashler

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0109, USA. scarpenter@ucsd.edu

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|September 19, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Testing improves learning, even for visual information like maps. This study shows that recalling map details through computer-prompted tests enhances visuospatial learning more than traditional study methods.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Visuospatial Cognition

Background:

  • The testing effect, a phenomenon where learning is enhanced by retrieval practice, has primarily been demonstrated for verbal memory tasks.
  • Its applicability to nonverbal learning, particularly visuospatial information, remains less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the testing effect can enhance the learning of visuospatial information presented in maps.
  • To determine if computer-prompted testing is effective for improving map learning.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty participants studied two maps: one using conventional study methods and the other using computer-prompted tests.
  • During testing, participants repeatedly viewed maps with deleted features and attempted covert recall of missing elements and their locations.

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Main Results:

  • Map drawings were significantly better for maps learned through testing compared to those learned through conventional study.
  • This indicates enhanced visuospatial learning through retrieval practice.

Conclusions:

  • The testing effect is not restricted to verbal memory tasks and extends to visuospatial learning.
  • Employing covert retrieval strategies in testing can enhance learning in complex, nonverbal domains like map study.