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- Vol 1 RE: Chapters 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, App A, App B
- Vol 2 RE: App D
- Vol 2 TE: App B
- Vol 3 RE: Chapter 4
- Vol 3 TE: App C
- Vol 4 RE: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 9, 17, 25, App A, App B, App C
- Vol 4 TE: App C
- Vol 5 RE: Chapters 7, 13, App A, App B
- Vol 5 TE: App C
- Vol 7 PE: App D
retrieval practicelong-term retentionspaced practiceretrieval feedbacktest-enhanced learningtransfer of learninglow-stakes assessmentJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Roediger and Butler review evidence that retrieving information is a learning event rather than merely a way to measure prior study. Compared with equivalent restudy, successful retrieval generally improves long-term retention, especially when recall is effortful, repeated, and distributed over time.
Key ideas
Very easy, massed retrieval may add little; expanding and equal-interval schedules can differ with the final retention interval. Correct-answer feedback strengthens the effect by repairing errors and preserving correct responses, and is particularly important after multiple-choice questions that expose learners to plausible misinformation. Benefits can extend beyond a practised cue to transfer and inference, although the degree depends on task design. Several theoretical accounts are considered, including elaboration of retrieval routes and effortful reconstruction, but no single mechanism fully explains the evidence.
Why it matters
For educators, retrieval practice should be low stakes, spaced, and aligned with meaningful knowledge, with prompt feedback and opportunities to retrieve in varied forms. Testing can support learning, but high-stakes testing, uncorrected error, and narrow drill are not equivalent to the research-based practice reviewed.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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