Abstract
There is an emerging consensus that retrieval practice is a powerful way to enhance long-term retention and to reduce achievement gaps in school settings. Less is known whether retrieval practice benefits performance in individuals with low intrinsic motivation to spend time and effort on a given task, as measured by self-reported need for cognition (NFC). Here, we examined retrieval practice in relation to individual differences in NFC by combining behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Using a within-subject design, upper-secondary school students (N = 274) learned a language-based material (Swahili-Swedish word-pairs), with half of the items by means of retrieval practice with feedback and half by study only. One week later, the students were tested on the word-pairs either in the classroom (n = 204), or in a fMRI scanner (n = 70). In both settings, a retrieval practice effect was observed across different levels of NFC (high or low). Relatedly, comparable fMRI effects were seen in both NFC subgroups. Taken together, our findings provide behavioral and brain-imaging evidence that retrieval practice is effective also for individuals with lower levels of NFC, which is of direct relevance for educational practice.
Highlights
Recent meta-analytic reviews have demonstrated that active learning methods reduce the achievement gap between academic success and failure (Freeman et al, 2014; Theobald et al, 2020)
Despite the significant testing effect, and independent of learning condition, individual variation in need for cognition (NFC) was positively associated with long-term retention
The difference in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity during cued recall of information acquired by retrieval practice versus study was of a comparable magnitude in the high and low NFC groups
Summary
Recent meta-analytic reviews have demonstrated that active learning methods reduce the achievement gap between academic success and failure (Freeman et al, 2014; Theobald et al, 2020). Based on the available evidence, it has been argued that retrieval practice is a learning method that is easy to apply and, as such, has high utility for educational practice across ages and course subjects (see Dunlosky et al, 2013; Moreira et al, 2019, McDermott, 2021; for examples of reviews and meta-analyzes). In spite of this evidence, both students and teachers tend to overlook the beneficial effects of retrieval practice, and instead think of it as a method for evaluation (i.e., summative assessment) than for learning (i.e., formative assessment; McDermott, 2021)
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