DOCSLIB.ORG

Assessing Challenge As a Motivator to Use a Retrieval Practice Study Strategy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Assessing Challenge As a Motivator to Use a Retrieval Practice Study Strategy Assessing Challenge as a Motivator to Use a Retrieval Practice Study Strategy A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Kyle A. Bayes August 2017 © 2017 Kyle A. Bayes. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Assessing Challenge as a Motivator to Use a Retrieval Practice Study Strategy by KYLE A. BAYES has been approved for the Department of Psychology and the College of Arts and Sciences by Jeffrey B. Vancouver Professor of Psychology Robert Frank Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 Abstract BAYES, KYLE A., M.S., August 2017, Psychology Assessing Challenge as a Motivator to Use a Retrieval Practice Study Strategy Director of Thesis: Jeffrey B. Vancouver Individuals often do not use effective learning strategies when studying or learning material on their own. For example, retrieval practice, which is the effortful recall of information previously reviewed, is an effective but underutilized strategy. One potential explanation for the low usage of retrieval practice is a lack of motivation to use it. The current research explores whether the incorporation of challenge, which can be a strong motivator, will increase individuals’ use of retrieval practice. Specifically, self- regulated practice was assessed over one week as individuals prepared for graduate school exams (e.g., GMAT or GRE). During the week, individuals were provided math questions of various difficulties as a method for studying and preparing for the exams. Participants were either presented the items (a) randomly, (b) ordered from least to most difficult and allowed to choose the question, or (c) with increasingly challenging questions reflective of a participant’s ability level. In general, the results provided some support for the hypothesis that challenge is an effective method for motivating the use of retrieval practice. Implications for the design of training protocols, motivating individuals to learn effectively, and the generalizability of the challenge approach are discussed. 4 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 7 Assessing Challenge as a Motivator to Use Retrieval Practice Study Strategy .................. 8 The Benefits of Successful Learning Strategies ............................................................... 11 Effective Learning Strategies Performance Effects ...................................................... 12 Generalizability of Effective Learning Strategies ........................................................ 14 Retrieval Practice .......................................................................................................... 15 Ways in Which Challenge Motivates ............................................................................... 19 Flow Theory .................................................................................................................. 20 Achievement Motivation .............................................................................................. 21 Self-Determination Theory ........................................................................................... 22 Adaptive Testing and Retrieval Practice ........................................................................... 24 The Present Study ............................................................................................................. 26 Methods............................................................................................................................. 27 Participants .................................................................................................................... 27 Measures/Manipulations ............................................................................................... 28 Challenge manipulation. ........................................................................................... 28 Performance. ............................................................................................................. 30 Retrieval practice. ..................................................................................................... 30 Time on questions. .................................................................................................... 30 Motivation. ................................................................................................................ 31 Felt challenge manipulation check. ........................................................................... 31 Demographics. .......................................................................................................... 32 Procedure ...................................................................................................................... 32 Results ............................................................................................................................... 34 Descriptives .................................................................................................................. 34 Manipulation Check ...................................................................................................... 40 5 Hypothesis Tests ........................................................................................................... 41 Supplementary Analyses ............................................................................................... 45 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 49 Theoretical Implications ............................................................................................... 49 Practical Implications ................................................................................................... 50 Limitations and Future Directions ................................................................................ 52 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 57 References ......................................................................................................................... 58 Appendix A: First Contact Email and Forum Post ........................................................... 68 Appendix B: Participant’s Study View ............................................................................. 70 Appendix C: Measures ...................................................................................................... 83 Appendix D: Correlation Matrix for Felt Challenge ......................................................... 85 Appendix E: Additional Felt Challenge Measures ........................................................... 86 Appendix F: Analyses Changes after Deletion of Suspicious Retrieval Practice Instances ........................................................................................................................................... 87 6 List of Tables Page Table 1: Correlation table of main variables...................................................................36 7 List of Figures Page Figure 1: Screenshot of the level up message individuals received every time they leveled up.....................................................................................................................................30 Figure 2: Frequency distribution of the number of questions completed per group in bins of five ..............................................................................................................................38 Figure 3: Frequency distribution of retrieval practice by group for questions 1-10 .......39 Figure 4: Frequency distribution for the average amount of time spent on questions ....39 Figure 5: Frequency distribution for average amount of time spent on questions less than or equal to a minute.........................................................................................................40 Figure 6: Median number of questions answered by condition ......................................41 Figure 7: Mean self-reported motivation by group. Standard error bars are +/- 2..........42 Figure 8: Pre and posttest score by condition. Standard error bars are +/- 2 ..................44 Figure 9: Interaction between condition and pretest score on felt challenge ..................46 8 Assessing Challenge as a Motivator to Use Retrieval Practice Study Strategy With the ever-increasing demands of a competitive global economy, the importance of a knowledgeable, productive workforce that is continually learning and developing is crucial (Salas, Tannenbaum, Kraiger, & Smith Jentsch, 2012). U.S. organizations spent an estimated $70 billion on formal training programs in 2013 in an effort to mold productive employees (Bersin, 2014). Given this large investment in training and organizational learning, it behooves I-O psychology to incorporate efficient and effective learning strategies into training. Toward this end, I-O psychologists seek to incorporate advancements in human learning, pioneered by educational and cognitive psychology,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Auditory Feedback Blocks Memory Benefits of Cueing During Sleep
    ARTICLE Received 26 Feb 2015 | Accepted 25 Sep 2015 | Published 28 Oct 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9729 OPEN Auditory feedback blocks memory benefits of cueing during sleep Thomas Schreiner1,2, Mick Lehmann1,3 & Bjo¨rn Rasch1,2,4 It is now widely accepted that re-exposure to memory cues during sleep reactivates memories and can improve later recall. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. As reactivation during wakefulness renders memories sensitive to updating, it remains an intriguing question whether reactivated memories during sleep also become susceptible to incorporating further information after the cue. Here we show that the memory benefits of cueing Dutch vocabulary during sleep are in fact completely blocked when memory cues are directly followed by either correct or conflicting auditory feedback, or a pure tone. In addition, immediate (but not delayed) auditory stimulation abolishes the characteristic increases in oscillatory theta and spindle activity typically associated with successful reactivation during sleep as revealed by high-density electroencephalography. We conclude that plastic processes associated with theta and spindle oscillations occurring during a sensitive period immediately after the cue are necessary for stabilizing reactivated memory traces during sleep. 1 Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland. 2 Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, 1701 Fribourg, Switzerland. 3 Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Clinic of Affective Disorders and General Psychiatry, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland. 4 Zurich Center for Interdisciplinary Sleep Research (ZiS), 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to B.R. (email: [email protected]). NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | 6:8729 | DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9729 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 & 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
    [Show full text]
  • Retrieval Practice: Which Factors Should Educators Pay Attention
    ARTIGO DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-35392020220284 Elocid - e220284 PRÁTICA DE LEMBRAR: A QUAIS FATORES OS EDUCADORES DEVEM SE ATENTAR? Roberta Ekuni 1 ; Sabine Pompeia 2 RESUMO A prática de lembrar (retrieval practice) ou efeito da testagem (testing-effect) é uma estratégia de estudo que envolve tentar lembrar informações às quais fomos anteriormente expostos. Embora essa prática aumente o tempo de retenção de informações comparada às formas tradicionais de estudar, dentre várias outras vantagens com ampla evidência científica, essa estratégia não costuma ser a mais usada entre alunos. Educadores devem, assim, auxiliar estudantes a utilizarem essa estratégia em seu cotidiano. Com o intuito de otimizar sua aplicabilidade, o presente artigo discute quais fatores interferem nessa prática, incluindo: a importância de feedback, a forma com que a prática de lembrar é realizada e o formato de resposta dos alunos, o número de repetições de tentativas de recordar informações e o intervalo entre essas repetições. A apropriação do conhecimento sobre esses fatores influencia positivamente a implantação da técnica em sala de aula, promovendo assim uma educação baseada em evidências. Palavras-chave: processos cognitivos; aprendizagem; memória. Retrieval practice: which factors should educators pay attention to? ABSTRACT The retrieval practice or testing - effect, is a study technique that involves trying to remember information to which we were previously exposed. Although this practice increases the long term-retention of information compared to traditional study techniques, among several other advantages with ample scientific evidence, this strategy is not usually the most used among students. Educators should help students to use this technique in their daily lives.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Components of Long-Term Memory
    Two components of long-term memory Piotr A. woiniak1, Edward J. ~orzela6cz~k~ and Janusz A. ~urakowski~ 1.2~aboratoryof the Applied Research at the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, Karol Marcinkowski Medical Academy, 79 Dqbrowski St., 60-529 Pornali Poland; 3~epartmentof Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA Abstract. The existence of two independent components of long-term memory has been demonstrated by the authors. The evidence has been derived from the authors' findings related to the optimum spacing of repetitions in paired-associate learning. The two components are sufficient to explain the optimum spacing of repetitions as well as the spacing effect. Although the molecular counterparts of the two components of memory are not known, the authors provide a collection of guidelines that might facilitate identification of such counterparts. to whom correspondence Key words: memory, learning, paired-associate learning, spacing should be addressed repetitions, synapse, long-term potentiation, spacing effect 302 P.A. Woiniak et al. It has been found in earlier research that the op- out the spacing effect, a large number of repetitions timum spacing of repetitions in paired-associate in a very short period of time might increase the op- learning, understood as the spacing which takes a timum inter-repetition interval to an excessive minimum number of repetitions to indefinitely value, far beyond the period in which the learned as- maintain a constant level of knowledge retention sociation is important for the conditioned individ- (e.g. 95%), can roughly be expressed using the fol- ual. lowing formulae (Woiniak and Gorzelanczyk Because of a deeply-rooted evolutionary signi- 1994).
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Investigation of Tick-8 and G-5 Techniques in Learning Vocabulary Among Iranian EFL Learners
    J. Basic. Appl. Sci. Res., 3(3)896-903, 2013 ISSN 2090-4304 Journal of Basic and Applied © 2013, TextRoad Publication Scientific Research www.textroad.com A Comparative Investigation of Tick-8 and G-5 Techniques in Learning Vocabulary among Iranian EFL Learners Mitra Taghinezhad Vaskeh Mahalleh, Nader Assadi Aidinlou, Hanieh Davatgar Department of English Language Teaching and Literature, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran ABSTRACT Vocabulary is central to language and is one of the challenging parts of every languages learning. One of the problems that English foreign language learners however, complain about it is having difficulty to remember the words they have learned. In this regard vocabulary learning strategy is an approach which helps learners. So, this study is an attempt to study the effects of Tick-8 and G-5 mnemonic techniques on Iranian English language learners’ retention of vocabulary items. To do so, 60 Iranian English language learners’ at intermediate level were randomly selected for the study. They were randomly divided into three groups, two experimental and one control group. In order to get assurance as to the homogeneity of the learners they were pre-tested and a same test was repeated as post-test after 9 weeks. Three groups were taught about 360 vocabulary items. These vocabulary items were taught with two different mnemonic techniques (Tick-8 & G-5) to the experimental groups while control group did not receive any technique. A one way ANOVA test indicated that 1) there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups in retention of vocabulary items.
    [Show full text]
  • The Home Stretch: Maximizing Student Learning As the End of the Year Comes Into View
    The Bridge v. 2.8 Welcome back toThe Bridge, the monthly newsletter of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning. Each month The Bridge analyzes a specific aspect of teaching and learning through a Mind, Brain and Education Science research-informed lens. The Home Stretch: maximizing student learning as the end of the year comes into view By Dr. Ian Kelleher Edited by Julia Dean There is a magical feeling coming back from Spring Break and suddenly discovering that the end of the school year might actually happen. It might not actually be "in sight" yet, but there is something like the low rumbling you can feel before you see the helicopter or freight train approaching. It has been a long time since I have taught an AP class, so I do not have that ARGH! moment when I stare at all that I still have to cover and weep. Instead, it is time to start plotting the endgame. So try filling out this template which comes from Chip and Dan Heath's book, The Power of Moments: In 3-5 years from now, my students still know _________________, are still able to do _____________ or still find value in _________________. To make progress on this, we need to plot a good endgame. This will be better if we remember "The 6 p's": proper planning prevents poor performance. So, with spring in my mind, what research informed seeds is it time to plant? Make forgetting your friend Your students will have forgotten an enormous amount during spring break. So use this to your advantage.
    [Show full text]
  • Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down. - Chronicle.Com
    Print: Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down. - Chronicle.com http://chronicle.com/cgi-bin/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicl... http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i34/34a00101.htm From the issue dated May 1, 2009 Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down. That old study method still works, researchers say. So why don't professors preach it? By DAVID GLENN The scene: A rigorous intro-level survey course in biology, history, or economics. You're the instructor, and students are crowding the lectern, pleading for study advice for the midterm. If you're like many professors, you'll tell them something like this: Read carefully. Write down unfamiliar terms and look up their meanings. Make an outline. Reread each chapter. That's not terrible advice. But some scientists would say that you've left out the most important step: Put the book aside and hide your notes. Then recall everything you can. Write it down, or, if you're uninhibited, say it out loud. Two psychology journals have recently published papers showing that this strategy works, the latest findings from a decades-old body of research. When students study on their own, "active recall" — recitation, for instance, or flashcards and other self-quizzing — is the most effective way to inscribe something in long-term memory. Yet many college instructors are only dimly familiar with that research. And in March, when Mark A. McDaniel, a professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and one author of the new studies, gave a talk at a conference of the National Center for Academic Transformation, people fretted that the approach was oriented toward robotic memorization, not true learning.
    [Show full text]
  • Memory Dysfunction INTRODUCTION Distributed Brain Networks
    Memory Dysfunction REVIEW ARTICLE 07/09/2018 on SruuCyaLiGD/095xRqJ2PzgDYuM98ZB494KP9rwScvIkQrYai2aioRZDTyulujJ/fqPksscQKqke3QAnIva1ZqwEKekuwNqyUWcnSLnClNQLfnPrUdnEcDXOJLeG3sr/HuiNevTSNcdMFp1i4FoTX9EXYGXm/fCfl4vTgtAk5QA/xTymSTD9kwHmmkNHlYfO by https://journals.lww.com/continuum from Downloaded By G. Peter Gliebus, MD Downloaded CONTINUUM AUDIO INTERVIEW AVAILABLE ONLINE from https://journals.lww.com/continuum ABSTRACT PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the current understanding of memory system anatomy and physiology, as well as relevant evaluation methods and pathologic processes. by SruuCyaLiGD/095xRqJ2PzgDYuM98ZB494KP9rwScvIkQrYai2aioRZDTyulujJ/fqPksscQKqke3QAnIva1ZqwEKekuwNqyUWcnSLnClNQLfnPrUdnEcDXOJLeG3sr/HuiNevTSNcdMFp1i4FoTX9EXYGXm/fCfl4vTgtAk5QA/xTymSTD9kwHmmkNHlYfO RECENT FINDINGS: Our understanding of memory formation advances each year. Successful episodic memory formation depends not only on intact medial temporal lobe structures but also on well-orchestrated interactions with other large-scale brain networks that support executive and semantic processing functions. Recent discoveries of cognitive control networks have helped in understanding the interaction between memory systems and executive systems. These interactions allow access to past experiences and enable comparisons between past experiences and external and internal information. The semantic memory system is less clearly defined anatomically. Anterior, lateral, and inferior temporal lobe regions appear to play a crucial role in the function of the semantic
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 SGEA Regional Meeting Abstract Compendium
    2020 SGEA Regional Meeting Abstract Compendium 0 Contents Message from the SGEA Chair ....................................................................................................... 2 Message from the 2020 SGEA Conference Host ........................................................................... 3 Special Thank You and Acknowledgements .................................................................................. 4 SGEA Awards ................................................................................................................................. 5 Innovation Abstracts ....................................................................................................................... 6 Research Abstracts ...................................................................................................................... 135 Small Group, Workshop and Panel Discussion Abstracts .......................................................... 247 List of SGEA Steering Committee Members ............................................................................. 324 List of 2020 SGEA Regional Conference Planning Committee Members ................................. 325 2020 SGEA Reviewers ............................................................................................................... 327 1 Message from the SGEA Chair Dear Colleagues, I am so pleased to join with my peer regional GEA chairs and the AAMC medical education team in offering this important compendium of medical education innovation and scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Vocabulary Recognition and Memorization: a Comparison of Two Methods
    Vocabulary Recognition and Memorization: A Comparison of Two Methods Liu Yu Kristianstad University School of Teacher Education English, Spring 2011 Level IV English Tutor: Jane Mattisson Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Jane Mattisson for giving me lots of help and support. I would like to thank my classmates Song Wanlu and Zhen Zhen for their help in completing the project. Abstract The present study investigates which of two vocabulary learning methods best promotes long- term retention of the meaning and spelling of words. The first method is rote learning, i.e. learning by word lists, which requires pupils to memorize the meaning of new words by L1 translation. The second method is learning by sentence writing, which requires pupils to memorize new words by making up their own sentences in order to establish links between old and new knowledge. 16 pupils took part in the experiment; all were approximately 11 years old. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. All the participants were given one receptive and one productive recall test, both in the immediate and delayed post-tests. The result demonstrates that pupils who learn words using word lists only remember words in the short-term retention, while the sentence writing method results in greater long-term retention. Key words: vocabulary learning; learning by word lists; learning by sentence writing; retention Table of Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Enactment in Learning American Sign Language in Younger and Older Adults
    Hindawi Publishing Corporation ISRN Geriatrics Volume 2013, Article ID 285860, 7 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/285860 Research Article The Role of Enactment in Learning American Sign Language in Younger and Older Adults Alison Fenney1 and Timothy D. Lee2 1 McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study (MiNDS), McMaster University, ON, Canada L8S 4L8 2 Kinesiology, McMaster University, ON, Canada L8S 4L8 Correspondence should be addressed to Alison Fenney; [email protected] Received 18 August 2012; Accepted 16 September 2012 Academic Editors: K. Furukawa and D. G. Walker Copyright © 2013 A. Fenney and T. D. Lee. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand” (Confucius, 450 B.C). Philosophers and scientists alike have pondered the question of the mind-body link for centuries. Recently the role of motor information has been examined more speci�cally for a role in learning and memory. is paper describes a study using an errorless learning protocol to teach characters to young and older persons in American Sign Language. Participants were assigned to one of two groups: recognition (visually recognizing signs) or enactment (physically creating signs). Number of signs recalled and rate of forgetting were compared between groups and across age cohorts. ere were no signi�cant differences, within either the younger or older groups for number of items recalled. ere were signi�cant differences between recognition and enactment groups for rate of forgetting, within young and old, suggesting that enactment improves the strength of memory for items learned, regardless of age.
    [Show full text]
  • Piano and Memory
    Course: CA 1004 Degree project 30 hp 2019 Master in performance Classical music institution Supervisor: Sven Åberg Examinator: Katarina Ström-Harg Olga Albasini Garaulet Piano and memory Strategies to memorize piano music Written reflection within independent project The documentation also includes the following recordings: Concert exam_Olga Albasini Video examples day 1 (4 files) Video examples day 4 (3 files) Video examples final test (3 files) I Abstract This study was carried out in order to discover new strategies to memorize piano music. There are six different types of memory involved in performing: auditory, kinesthetic, visual, analytical, nominal and emotional. There are two main ways of practicing: playing practice and non-playing practice. I tried to find out if the order in which we use these two kinds of practice affects the quality of the memorization. During one week I practiced three different pieces following three different methods: 1 Using only playing practice; 2 using first playing practice and then non-playing practice; 3 using first non-playing practice and then playing practice. The second method had a much better result than the other two. The whole process was registered with a video camera and a logbook. II Contents 1. Introduction ..........................................................¡Error! Marcador no definido. 1.1 Why do we play by memory?................................................................4 1.2 Previous research about the matter........................................................4 1.3
    [Show full text]
  • Hard Lessons: Effort-Inducing Interfaces Benefit Spatial Learning
    CHI 2007 Proceedings · Learning April 28-May 3, 2007 · San Jose, CA, USA Hard Lessons: Effort-Inducing Interfaces Benefit Spatial Learning Andy Cockburn†, Per Ola Kristensson‡, Jason Alexander†, Shumin Zhai* †Computer Science ‡Computer & Information Science *IBM Almaden Research Center University of Canterbury Linköpings Universitet 650 Harry Road, NWE-B2 Christchurch, New Zealand 581 83 Linköping, Sweden San Jose, CA 95120, USA {andy, Jason}@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT users with their task environment, to aid task planning and Interface designers normally strive for a design that stress management, and to tune visual attention skills. minimises the user’s effort. However, when the design’s objective is to train users to interact with interfaces that In this paper we study the hypothesis that “hard” are highly dependent on spatial properties (e.g. keypad interfaces that promote mental effort will be more layout or gesture shapes) we contend that designers beneficial than “easy” ones for the purpose of learning, should consider explicitly increasing the mental effort of particularly when acquiring skills concerning spatial interaction. To test the hypothesis that effort aids spatial memory. Although this hypothesis is supported both by memory, we designed a “frost-brushing” interface that intuition (we remember a driving route better if we spend forces the user to mentally retrieve spatial information, or effort navigating through it, rather than being a leisurely to physically brush away the frost to obtain visual passenger) and by insights in the general psychology guidance. We report results from two experiments using literature (e.g.
    [Show full text]