Improving Memory Retention via Spacing of Practice: Computational and Empirical Investigations

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When someone 'crams' for a test, they often have the experience of forgetting the material soon after the test is over. In support of this experience, memory researchers have known for over 100 years that the long-term retention of study material can be greatly enhanced when study sessions are spaced out over time, rather than concentrated into one grueling cram session. Despite the robustness and importance of this spacing effect, there is currently no widely accepted explanation for it in terms of memory theories, and the breadth of the effect in terms of different kinds of study material has not been thoroughly investigated.With support of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Pashler and Dr. Mozer are conducting a series of memory experiments to examine relations between inter-study intervals and retention intervals in the context of a variety of declarative memory tasks (i.e., fact learning) as well as procedural memory tasks (i.e., skill learning). The experiments are motivated by three distinct classes of memory theories that make different predictions regarding the performance outcomes. The investigators are implementing computational models of the theories to derive their quantitative predictions, and to explore their underlying theoretical principles. The knowledge to be gained from this research project may be used to improve learning and education in many academic domains, including science and engineering.