Year

2023

Season

Spring

Paper Type

Master's Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science in Psychological Science (MSPS)

Department

Psychology

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Sara Davis

Second Advisor

Dr. Juliana Leding

Department Chair

Dr. Lori Lange

Abstract

When individuals are presented with a variety of materials, including word lists, face-name pairs, text passages, and more, the presence of a test between sections can enhance future section learning, a phenomenon called the forward testing effect (FTE). In addition to the FTE, studies have suggested that a decrease in the relatedness of the subject matter units can increase learning of the material. The current study examined the interaction between the presence of a test and the relatedness of material using text sections and cued-recall questions. Participants were 119 individuals assigned to a related test, related no-test, unrelated test, or unrelated no-test condition. All participants received a criterial test, or a test on their fourth section. Correct responses on these tests were used to compare performance across conditions. No significant difference between conditions was found, indicating the lack of a FTE. Although the manipulation check indicated that the manipulation of relatedness was successful, future studies should be conducted to examine the impact of relatedness on materials in which the FTE is established and a robust effect. This research will be important for providing recommendations to researchers and educators regarding the efficacy of testing on longer text sections.

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