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Establishing and explaining the testing effect in free recall for young children
Stacy L Lipowski1, Mary A Pyc2, John Dunlosky3
1Department of Psychology.
Developmental Psychology
|December 4, 2013
Summary
Testing improves memory recall in elementary students. This learning strategy enhances item-specific information processing, benefiting even young learners by boosting their memory retention.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- The testing effect, where memory improves with retrieval practice, is well-documented in adults.
- Limited research exists on the testing effect in elementary school children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and nature of the testing effect in first and third graders.
- To explore underlying cognitive mechanisms contributing to memory benefits from testing in children.
Main Methods:
- First and third graders participated in a controlled experiment.
- Children learned word lists under two conditions: test-plus-restudy and restudy only.
- Item-specific and relational processing were assessed.
Main Results:
- The testing effect was observed in both first and third graders.
- Testing significantly enhanced item-specific processing but did not improve relational processing.
- Third graders recognized the benefits of testing, while first graders did not.
Conclusions:
- The benefits of the testing effect extend to elementary school populations.
- Testing aids memory in young children by facilitating item-specific information processing.
- Metacognitive awareness of testing benefits develops with age.
