An Evaluation of Multiple SAFMEDS Procedures

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• The Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled (SAFMEDS) procedure, developed in the 1970s, enhances flashcard learning.
• Existing research shows SAFMEDS is effective across diverse populations.
• Current literature lacks detailed documentation and standardization of SAFMEDS procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a basic SAFMEDS procedure and four supplementary variations.
• To assess the impact on learning unfamiliar Russian words and Chinese characters in college students.

Main Methods:

• Participants used a basic SAFMEDS procedure and four supplementary variations.
• Performance was measured by the rates of correct and incorrect responding to unfamiliar vocabulary.
• Data collection involved 1-minute timings.

Main Results:

• The basic SAFMEDS procedure showed some improvement in learning (increased correct, decreased incorrect responses).
• All supplementary SAFMEDS procedures resulted in greater increases in correct responses per minute compared to the basic procedure.

Conclusions:

• Supplementary SAFMEDS procedures appear more effective for rapid vocabulary acquisition than the basic method.
• Further research is needed to differentiate the effectiveness of various supplementary SAFMEDS procedures.