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Mind Brain and Behaviour One Essay
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The Benefits of Retrieval Practice Outweigh the Negative Impact of Test-Anxiety

Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne

PSYC10003: Mind, Brain & Behaviour 1󳆫 Due date: 11/05/1996󳆫

Word Count: 1,463

The Benefits of Retrieval Practice Outweigh the Negative Impact of Test-Anxiety

Memory and learning require three main processes. These referred to as encoding, storage and retrieval. The third stage in the memory process has been a central area of research in the cognitive sciences for over a century (Abbott, 1909). Retrieval-based practice, in the broadest sense, requires a retrieval cue to prompt the recall of previously learned information back into short-term memory (STM), and this, in turn, strengthens long-term memory (LTM) consolidation of that information. Thus, retrieval is done in two ways, which is through recall and recognition. Such studies as those conducted by Carrier and Pashler (1992), Roediger and Karpicke (2006) and Smith, Floerke, Thomas (2016), have lead to the understanding that retrieval-based practices such as testing are not only a way to measure academic performance, but also strengthen long-term memory retention of the information being tested. However, Weinstein et al. (2018) suggest that although retrieval practice (RP) has shown to be robust for improving memory, certain circumstances can threaten the benefits of the practice. As the study Hinze, Rapp and David, (2014) show, students may experience performance pressure and anxiety during recall testing, which potentially undermines the workings of this process. However, as Smith, Floerke and Thomas (2016) and Roediger and Butler (2011) demonstrated through their research, the conditions in which retrieval-based practices are utilised can dictate the quality of encoding and therefore impact the information remembered, forgotten and misrepresented. This paper argues that RP is an effective strategy to enhance learning and memory despite the adverse effects of acute stressors, such as performance pressure and test-anxiety.

An investigation of the beneficial and unfavourable components of RP has fundamental implications for educators in their approach to teaching and learning. The conditions in which RP is done can modify, reorganise and misrepresent information that is stored in long-term memory. Therefore, it is important to examine the conditions that retrieval practice has shown to work best. The study by Roediger and Butler (2011) highlighted conditions in which RP has proven to have positive implications for both learning and long-term memory retention. The research provides data from four groups of students, each given the task of learning pairs of Swahili and English words like "mashua-boat". Two groups of students were directed to learn through numerous retrieval-based practices. The other two groups learned through repeated study and used RP once. After one week, a final test was given to all groups. The results provide the insight that the two groups that practiced repeated retrieval during learning were able to recall more paired words compared to the other two groups. The results suggest that repeated study of information wasn't as useful as the process of RP for long-term consolidation.

The latter study also demonstrated that the interval schedules for retrieval practice influenced the quantity of information consolidated into LTM. One minute and six-minute intervals were used in between consecutive retrieval cues. A final test was given to a group after twenty-five minutes and another group after one week. The results showed that the timing between learning and taking the final test didn't affect the results, but rather, each participant who learned on the six-minute interval produced better results than the one-minute interval group. The results suggest that the condition of time between retrieval practices can impact how much information

stores in LTM. It was also found that one or two retrieval practices were not enough to consolidate learning into LTM. Therefore, the more use of retrieval-based methods the stronger LTM retention.

Academic testing is used prevalently throughout formal education as a useful and necessary strategy to measure student intelligence and capability. However, Hinze and Rapp (2014) demonstrated that test anxiety could impact memory retrieval and therefore, limit long-term retention and recall of correct information. The study investigated to what extent learning through retrieval-based testing can be affected by performance pressure and test anxiety. Three sample groups each undertook different learning strategies before completing a final test on the learned content. Two groups took a quiz in low-stake, or high-stake conditions and a third group learned through the process of rereading. Low-stake and high-stake conditions were controlled by the emphasised importance of performance outcome on the quiz. They found that through quizzes, the high-stake and low-stake groups performed equally well. However, on the final test, the low-stakes group outperformed the high-stakes group and also found that the low-stake group performed better on the final test than the group who learned through rereading. This study sheds light on the importance of the conditions in which retrieval based practiced are utilised. A heightened emphasis on low-stake testing as opposed to high-stakes is encouraged for learning within classrooms as low-stakes tests still entail retrieval, but the performance pressure and test anxiety felt by students would be reduced.

Past studies such as Hinze and Rapp (2014), as mentioned above, have shown that test anxiety and pressure can negatively impact learning through RP. However, a recent

study by Smith, Floerke and Thomas (2016) demonstrated that learning through RP can counteract the negative implications caused by stress. According to the outcome of the study, it depends on the type of learning strategy used not the acute stressor that inhibits the ability to retain information. Participants in the study either encoded information through RP or repeated studying. After twenty-four hours, stress was induced in half of the subjects. It was found that subjects that undertook RP for learning were not affected by the induced stress. Whereas the subjects that learned through repeated study demonstrated memory impairments that are usually caused by stress. The process of encoding influences the quality and quantity of retrieval pathways in the brain. Therefore, the learning strategies used at encoding seem to hold the ability to strengthen initial memory representations. RP was shown to enhance memory representations to a higher degree than restudying and therefore was unaffected by induced stress. The results give insight into ways that the adverse effects of test anxiety can potentially reduce. Test anxiety can be an issue for students as stress inhibits other regions of the brain, causing difficulty in recalling correct previously learned content. Therefore, it is pertinent to attempt to minimise pressure and anxiety for students to perform their best. Research on this includes the study conducted by Agarwal et al. (2014). It investigated if test anxiety would reduce if the application of retrieval practice were utilised frequently within the classroom. The study entailed 1408 students from K-12 and spanned over seven years. A questionnaire was given to students after each academic year that enquired if the level of test anxiety decreased, increased or stayed the same in a class that involved retrieval practices (such as quizzes) compared to the types that didn't include retrieval practices. According to the study, 92% of students

were recorded stating that retrieval practice was beneficial in facilitating learning and 72% of students reported reduced test anxiety before utilising retrieval practice within the classroom. A mean of 70% of students recorded that quizzes helped for final test preparation, and 67% stated that quizzes help in the learning process, in part, because of feedback that was given by teachers.

It has been demonstrated that RP is a powerful tool for learning and memory consolidation. However, the conditions in which this process is undertaken is critical for its effectiveness. Delayed intervals between retrieval cues and the re-exposure to the information through feedback have shown to be successful teaching and learning methods. A suggestion put forth by Landauer and Bjork (1978) is to extend retrieval schedules, which means that after initial learning of content, retrieval should be practiced either through free recall or cued recall after one minute, then four minutes, then again at ten minutes and so on. Consecutive, but spaced out, retrieval schedules have been shown to enhance the LTM retention of the initial content studied. And thus, learning through retrieval practice is a gradual process that requires challenge and dedication. Although high-stake testing cannot be avoided, it is encouraged to use low-stake retrieval practices such as quizzes and flashcards in the classroom to prepare students for final tests. As well as incorporating free recall tasks such as directing students to write down from memory everything they learnt in a lesson or direct students to get into pairs and practice elaborating on the content learned in a class. Educators can also measure the time between retrieval cues and give feedback as soon as possible to avoid consolidation of false information. The ongoing use of RP is beneficial not only

to succeed in final exams but can initiate the application of learned content to further contexts. The benefit of RP as a learning tool has shown, if utilised in the best conditions, to outweigh the negative impact of test anxiety.

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