Testing students on information that they do not know might seem like a fruitless endeavor. After all, why give anyone a test that they are guaranteed to fail because they have not yet learned the material? Remarkably, a growing body of research indicates that such testing—formally known as prequestioning or pretesting—can benefit learning if there is an opportunity to study the correct answers afterwards. This prequestioning effect or pretesting effect has been successfully demonstrated with a variety of learning materials, despite many erroneous responses being generated on initial tests, and in conjunction with text materials, videos, lectures, and/or correct answer feedback. In this review, we summarize the emerging evidence for prequestioning and pretesting effects on memory and transfer of learning. Uses of pre-instruction testing in the classroom, theoretical explanations, and other considerations are addressed. The evidence to date indicates that prequestioning and pretesting can often enhance learning, but the extent of that enhancement may vary due to differences in procedure or how learning is assessed. The underlying cognitive mechanisms, which can be represented by a three-stage framework, appear to involve test-induced changes in subsequent learning behaviors and possibly other processes. Further research is needed to clarify moderating factors, theoretical issues, and best practices for educational applications.

用学生不知道的信息来测试学生似乎是徒劳的。毕竟，为什么要给任何人一个因为他们还没有学到材料而注定会失败的测试呢？值得注意的是，越来越多的研究表明，如果事后有机会研究正确答案，这种测试（正式称为预提问或预测试）可以有益于学习。这种预质疑效应或预测试效应尽管在初始测试中产生了许多错误的反应，但已通过各种学习材料以及结合文本材料、视频、讲座和/或正确答案反馈成功地进行了演示。在这篇综述中，我们总结了预提问和预测试对记忆和学习迁移的影响的新证据。讨论了课堂教学前测试的使用、理论解释和其他考虑因素。迄今为止的证据表明，预提问和预测试通常可以增强学习，但增强的程度可能会因程序或学习评估方式的差异而有所不同。底层的认知机制可以用三阶段框架来表示，似乎涉及后续学习行为和可能的其他过程中由测试引起的变化。需要进一步的研究来阐明教育应用的调节因素、理论问题和最佳实践。