Description
Word limit: 2000 words (+/- 10%)
Weighting: 35%
This lab report examines the effects of two different studying techniques on people’s test performance: massed practice versus distributed practice. Massed practice refers to studying or rehearsing information in one period (i.e. cramming), whereas distributed practice (also known as spaced practice) refers to spacing out the time spent studying over several sessions with a break in between (see Figure 1 from Carpenter et al., 2012, p. 370).
The study design shows the student studying something once, follwed by a gap, then study it again, then a gap, follwed by the test of the information
Figure 1 Design of a typical study on the spacing effect (2012) supplied by Carpenter, Cepeda, Rohrer, Kang, & Pashler, p. 370
Importantly, the key difference is not the amount of time spent studying, but rather when the person spends the time studying and how much time passes between study periods. For example, you can either study for eight hours straight for an exam (i.e. massed practice), or you can study for one hour each across eight different days (i.e. distributed practice).
In addition to exploring study strategy, in this lab report, you will also examine the relationship between mind wandering during studying and people’s ability to learn and recall information (Risko et al., 2012). Mind wandering is a growing topic of research that builds on existing knowledge about the importance of attention in encoding. Thus, you will also learn about the research into the role of attention and staying on task when trying to learn information.
The topic of study strategy and mind wandering were chosen for your lab report because there is a wealth of research for you to draw upon it is relevant to material you will cover in the Week 3 learning material on Memory it may shape your own studying strategies in this unit and beyond.
