Retrieval Practice Enhances Analogical Problem Solving |
| |
| Authors: | Sarah Shi Hui Wong Gavin Jun Peng Ng Tobias Tempel |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore;2. Fachbereich I – Psychologie, University of Trier, Trier, Germany |
| |
| Abstract: | The impact of retrieval practice on analogical-problem-solving performance was investigated using a complex, educationally relevant task. Participants studied a statistical hypothesis testing scenario and practiced recalling the material or repeatedly studied it. Participants then completed a final test either 5 minutes or 1 week later involving a novel hypothesis-testing scenario that shared an intermediate procedural strategy and superficial and structural similarity with the study scenario but that differed at a specific procedure level. When the final test was given after 5 minutes, no differences in performance were observed across conditions (d = 0.01). Crucially, on the delayed test, retrieval practice produced superior performance than did repeated studying (d = 0.81), whereby participants were better at applying learned knowledge to solve a novel problem. |
| |
| Keywords: | Analogical problem solving procedural knowledge retrieval practice testing transfer of learning |
|
|
