Abstract:

According to the retrieval practice account, the process of retrieval strengthens items and makes them more memorable (i.e., accessible) over time (Roediger & Butler, 2011; Roediger, & Karpicke, 2006). This is because during retrieval, the brain triggers the same pattern of neural activity that was originally generated in response to a particular event, echoing the brain's perception of the real event. This leads to the prediction that testing, (i.e., administering different kinds of assessment tools) to students about knowledge they have previously acquired ought to have a powerful positive effect on future retention. This prediction will be tested with a cohort of students from the United Arab Emirates University by comparing performance of two matched groups of students one undergoing weekly tests and one monthly tests. It is expected that the weekly testing will show better performance than the monthly. The bearing of this outcome on the retrieval practice account will be discussed.

Keywords:

Testing, learning, memory, retention.