Cognitive Load Theory, Element Interactivity, and the Testing and Reverse Testing Effects

The testing effect arises when learners who are tested rather than relearning material obtain superior scores on a final test than those who relearn. Based on cognitive load theory, six experiments examined whether the effect was evident under low or high element interactivity (a measure of complexi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied cognitive psychology Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 265 - 280
Main Authors Hanham, Jose, Leahy, Wayne, Sweller, John
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2017
Subjects
Aversion learning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive load
Cognitive psychology
Delayed
Relearning
Serial learning
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Summary:The testing effect arises when learners who are tested rather than relearning material obtain superior scores on a final test than those who relearn. Based on cognitive load theory, six experiments examined whether the effect was evident under low or high element interactivity (a measure of complexity) conditions. Students learning to write types of text were participants. In all experiments, effects on a final common test of two presentations were compared with a single presentation followed by a preliminary test. The testing effect on immediate tests was larger and more likely using lower element interactivity materials. A reverse testing effect was likely on immediate tests tapping higher element interactivity material but possibly eliminated by using a delayed test. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.3324