Toward an understanding of why retrieval practice supports the construction of integrated memory representations

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Learning is often limited by the need to sustain attention and integrate study content over extended periods of time. One simple but effective way to overcome this obstacle is to interpolate extended sequences of study-such as preparing for an exam or viewing a lecture-with opportunities for learners to retrieve information from memory. For instance, rather than progressing uninterrupted through a lecture, interpolating the lecture with memory tests-e.g., studying a short segment of the lecture, answering questions about the first segment, studying the next segment of the lecture, answering questions about the second segment, and so on-can dramatically improve attention and learning. In addition to considering how much learners remember, it is also important to consider the quality of the learning that has taken place. For instance, it is not only important for students to extract information from a lecture, but also to integrate what they have learned from across the lecture. There is preliminary evidence that interpolated testing can aid learners in their ability to organize the content of learning into an integrated mnemonic representation. While intriguing, little is known about the underlying mechanism(s) by which interpolated testing facilitates knowledge integration. One possible mechanism that will be evaluated in this proposal is study-phase retrieval-the coming back to mind, or reminding, of information learned in an earlier portion of a study sequence during a later portion of a study sequence. Does interpolated testing enhance the occurrence of study-phase retrieval? Do study-phase retrievals help learners integrate disparate elements of study content? Using novel behavioural and neuroimaging techniques, this proposal represents the first systematic, multi-method investigation of study-phase retrieval, the role of interpolated testing in evoking study-phase retrieval, and the relation of study-phase retrieval to knowledge integration during learning. Interpolated testing has been shown to improve attention and learning in academic and vocational settings, and with younger and older adults. Insights into the role of study-phase retrieval in supporting the construction of integrated mnemonic representations of study content would aid in the development of more complete theories of the impact of interpolated testing on attention and learning, and also the development of technologies that could optimize the benefits of interpolated testing for learning in healthy and memory-impaired populations. The proposed research will also lead to the development of highly qualified personnel in state-of-the-art methods of the science of learning. These skills will enable our trainees to pursue academic positions and/or translate their skills to industries that aim to improve the efficacy with which Canadian academic institutions and companies teach and train their students and employees.