The testing effect: training by testing yourself to learn sustainably

Testing effect: why does testing yourself help you learn?

Paul has been taking a MOOC for a few months and is taking an online exam tomorrow in order to obtain a certification. To be sure that he is best prepared, he spends his evening rereading all the content offered in the MOOC and watching the most important videos again. At 11 pm, feeling ready, he fell asleep quietly, sure of himself. But what Paul doesn't know is that this revision strategy, which is widespread among learners, is far from the best...and Paul could have better results if he opted for another method: testing. But why would testing himself help him learn?

Training by testing yourself to learn sustainably

Numerous studies in cognitive psychology have consistently shown that we remember information better after being tested on it, rather than after a simple proofreading: this is what we call the Testing Effect.

For example, suppose we give to learners passages of texts to read, the aim being to remember them as best as possible for a final test. After a first reading, one half of the participants are asked to reread the passage and the other half to write on a piece of paper what they remember. A week later, the time for the final assessment has finally arrived. So who do you think memorized the best?

Well yes, It is the participants who have put their knowledge to the test by a test who have the best performances [1]. The power of this effect depends on the number of tests carried out during the learning period: the more you test yourself, the less you forget [1] [2]!

But how can this effect be explained?

When we have to answer a question, our brain must make the effort to find the relevant information in order to answer it correctly: this is what we call the recovery effort. In doing so, our brain consolidates the “paths” leading to the target information, and multiplies their number. So, we are more efficient in the next test simply because it is easier to access this information [4]. A certain Level of difficulty is therefore beneficial : the more difficult the tests during the learning period, the greater the recovery effort, and therefore the better the performance in the final exam [5] (see our article on designing effective tests).

Let's illustrate this with an example. Let's say you are asked to learn pairs of “Target Index” words such as “Band-Bread” or “Bread-Bread”, by regularly testing your ability to find the target word when given the clue. Well, in the long run, you will have an easier time remembering “Band-Bread” than “Tartine-Pain”! Counter-intuitive? In fact, retrieving Bread from Tartine is straightforward and does not require much effort; while from Shopping Cart, you will probably have to activate a more elaborate path such as Shopping Cart → Bread, or Shopping Cart → Supermarket → Supermarket → Bakery → Bread, and it is this process that will allow you to better retain the target information as you test sessions [4].

In addition, when the test is followed by feedback on the answers given and the mistakes made (Feedback), the beneficial effect of Testing is reinforced [3]. By allowing us to take stock of the state of our knowledge, the test with Feedback thus contributes to correcting our illusion of control and to improve our learning (see also our article to reduce the illusion of control).

Take into account the Testing for better learning and skills development strategies

Putting your knowledge to the test through tests is therefore an effective learning strategy in view of the current results of research on the subject. Paul would thus have had everything to gain by transforming his proofreading sessions into test sessions. Today, tests are mostly synonymous with grades and performance measures, and are therefore often feared by learners. In view of the benefits provided by the Testing, a change in mentality is needed: it is time for tests to be perceived as real learning tools by learners and teachers, and used as such. Administered on a regular basis for pure learning purposes, tests could thus allow for more effective and sustainable teaching.

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REFERENCES

[1] Roediger, H.L., Ill, & Karpicke, J.D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17, 249-255.

[2] Zaromb, F.M., & Roediger, H.L., III. (2010). The testing effect in free recall is associated with enhanced organizational processes. Memory & Cognition, 38, 95-1008.

[3] Butler, A.C., & Roediger, H.L., III. (2008). Feedback enhances the positive effects and reduces the negative effects of multiple-choice testing. Memory & Cognition, 36 (3), 604-616.

[4] Carpenter, S.K. (2009). Cue strength as a moderator of the testing effect: The benefits of elaborative retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35, 1563-1569

[5] Carpenter, S.K., & DeLosh, E.L. (2006). Impoverished cue support enhances subsequent retention: Support for the elaborative retrieval explanation of the testing effect. Memory & Cognition, 34, 268-276.