The benefits of elaborative encoding over retrieval practice for associative learning.

The practice of retrieval has been shown to be highly beneficial for memory retention, but it has seldom been compared with learning strategies other than repeated study. Here, we compared the benefits of retrieval practice (without feedback) with the benefits of two elaborative encoding tasks for w...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory & Cognition Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 1592 - 1608
Main Authors: Jaeger, Antônio, Martins, Thuan Henrique Pedrosa Gomes, Rodrigues, João Pedro Parreira, Muniz, Bruno Felipe Barbosa, da Silveira Fonseca, Ana Luísa Santiago, de Oliveira Gonçalves, Ariel
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jul2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=186988133&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 186988133
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        0090502X
        MEG
      jtl: Memory & Cognition
      issn: 0090502X
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jul2025
      vid: 53
      iid: 5
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        186988133
        10.3758/s13421-024-01671-z
      ppf: 1592
      ppct: 16
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 1.1MB
      tig:
        atl: The benefits of elaborative encoding over retrieval practice for associative learning.
      aug:
        au:
          Jaeger, Antônio
          Martins, Thuan Henrique Pedrosa Gomes
          Rodrigues, João Pedro Parreira
          Muniz, Bruno Felipe Barbosa
          da Silveira Fonseca, Ana Luísa Santiago
          de Oliveira Gonçalves, Ariel
        affil:
          https://ror.org/0176yjw32 Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Antonio Carlos Avenue, 6627, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
          https://ror.org/001w7jn25 Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
      su:
        Undergraduates
        Memory
        Research funding
        Prompts (Psychology)
        Statistical sampling
        Descriptive statistics
        Learning strategies
        Associative memory (Psychology)
      sug:
        subj:
          Undergraduates
          Memory
          Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
          Research funding
          Prompts (Psychology)
          Statistical sampling
          Descriptive statistics
          Learning strategies
          Associative memory (Psychology)
      keyword:
        Associative memory
        Elaborative learning
        Generative learning
        Interactive imagery
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Retrieval practice
        Sentence generation
        Associative memory
        Elaborative learning
        Generative learning
        Interactive imagery
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Retrieval practice
        Sentence generation
      ab: The practice of retrieval has been shown to be highly beneficial for memory retention, but it has seldom been compared with learning strategies other than repeated study. Here, we compared the benefits of retrieval practice (without feedback) with the benefits of two elaborative encoding tasks for word pair learning. Specifically, after studying series of randomly combined word pairs, participants performed an interactive-imagery (Experiments 1–2) or sentence-generation task (Experiments 3–5), retrieval practice, and a letter-counting or a rereading task. In Experiments 1–4, the word pairs were shown after a 24-h interval for testing in its original form or with the second word replaced by the second word from another pair, and participants performed recognition (old/new) followed by associative memory tests (intact/rearranged). In Experiment 5, memory was tested in a final cued-recall task administered shortly after initial learning. The interactive-imagery task was as beneficial as retrieval practice for recognition, but consistently more beneficial than retrieval for performance at the associative task. Sentence generation, on the other hand, produced greater performances than retrieval practice in recognition, associative memory, and cued-recall tests. These findings reveal that simple elaborative encoding tasks, such as imagining scenes or generating sentences, can be more beneficial for memory retention than retrieval practice without feedback.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N