ABSTRACT

Although the benefits of spaced retrieval are well established, research suggests that young and older adults often fail to optimally implement this strategy. The present study examined how task experience with feedback influenced participant-implemented spaced retrieval and its effect on short and long-term memory retention. Young and older adults were instructed to either equally space or expand their retrieval of face-name associations throughout an ongoing reading task. Participants were then provided feedback on the accuracy with which they implemented experimenter instructions. Results showed that feedback improved utilization of retrieval practice in both young and older adults. Moreover, both age groups successfully produced a pattern of expanded retrieval when instructed to do so, but failed to properly implement equal spacing. Consistent with extant research utilizing experimenter-determined spaced retrieval schedules, our study showed that the inclusion of a longer spacing interval immediately following acquisition resulted in reduced forgetting across the retention interval.

摘要

尽管间隔检索的好处已经确立，但研究表明，年轻人和老年人往往无法以最佳方式实施这一策略。本研究探讨了反馈任务体验如何影响参与者实施的间隔检索及其对短期和长期记忆保留的影响。在整个阅读任务中，年轻人和老年人被要求同等空间或扩大他们对人名关联的检索。然后向参与者提供有关他们执行实验者指令的准确性的反馈。结果表明，反馈提高了年轻人和老年人对检索练习的利用。此外，两个年龄组都成功地产生了扩展检索模式，但未能正确实施等间距。