Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood?
Studies on testing effect have showed that a practice test on study materials leads to better performance in a final test than restudying the materials for the same amount of time. Two experiments were conducted to test how distraction, as triggered by divided attention or experimentally induced anx...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00969/full |
| _version_ | 1819173298265653248 |
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| author | Chi-Shing Tse Chi-Shing Tse Meingold Hiu-Ming Chan Wai-Shing Tse Savio Wai-Ho Wong |
| author_facet | Chi-Shing Tse Chi-Shing Tse Meingold Hiu-Ming Chan Wai-Shing Tse Savio Wai-Ho Wong |
| author_sort | Chi-Shing Tse |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Studies on testing effect have showed that a practice test on study materials leads to better performance in a final test than restudying the materials for the same amount of time. Two experiments were conducted to test how distraction, as triggered by divided attention or experimentally induced anxious mood in the practice phase, could modulate the benefit of testing (vs. restudying) on the learning of interesting and boring general knowledge facts. Two individual difference factors (trait test anxiety and working memory (WM) capacity) were measured. Under divided attention, participants restudied or recalled the missing information in visually presented general knowledge facts, while judging whether auditorily presented items were from a pre-specified category. To experimentally induce anxious mood, we instructed participants to view and interpret negative pictures with anxious music background before and during the practice phase. Immediate and two-day delayed tests were given. Regardless of item type (interesting or boring) or retention interval, the testing effect was not significantly affected by divided (vs. full) attention or anxious (vs. neutral) mood. These results remained unchanged after taking into account the influences of participants’ trait test anxiety and WM capacity. However, when analyses were restricted to the study materials that had been learnt in the divided attention condition while participants accurately responded to the concurrent distracting task, the testing effect was stronger in the divided attention condition than in the full attention condition. Contrary to previous studies (e.g., Tse and Pu, 2012), there was no WM capacity × trait test anxiety interaction in the overall testing effect. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:20:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca54dc321ea440da87229e8bd52f92a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:20:51Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca54dc321ea440da87229e8bd52f92a72022-12-21T18:13:51ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-05-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.00969423111Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood?Chi-Shing Tse0Chi-Shing Tse1Meingold Hiu-Ming Chan2Wai-Shing Tse3Savio Wai-Ho Wong4Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, ChinaCentre for Learning Sciences and Technologies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, ChinaDepartment of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesSchool of Arts and Humanities, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong, ChinaDepartment of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, ChinaStudies on testing effect have showed that a practice test on study materials leads to better performance in a final test than restudying the materials for the same amount of time. Two experiments were conducted to test how distraction, as triggered by divided attention or experimentally induced anxious mood in the practice phase, could modulate the benefit of testing (vs. restudying) on the learning of interesting and boring general knowledge facts. Two individual difference factors (trait test anxiety and working memory (WM) capacity) were measured. Under divided attention, participants restudied or recalled the missing information in visually presented general knowledge facts, while judging whether auditorily presented items were from a pre-specified category. To experimentally induce anxious mood, we instructed participants to view and interpret negative pictures with anxious music background before and during the practice phase. Immediate and two-day delayed tests were given. Regardless of item type (interesting or boring) or retention interval, the testing effect was not significantly affected by divided (vs. full) attention or anxious (vs. neutral) mood. These results remained unchanged after taking into account the influences of participants’ trait test anxiety and WM capacity. However, when analyses were restricted to the study materials that had been learnt in the divided attention condition while participants accurately responded to the concurrent distracting task, the testing effect was stronger in the divided attention condition than in the full attention condition. Contrary to previous studies (e.g., Tse and Pu, 2012), there was no WM capacity × trait test anxiety interaction in the overall testing effect. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00969/fulltesting effectanxietyattentionfact learningworking memory |
| spellingShingle | Chi-Shing Tse Chi-Shing Tse Meingold Hiu-Ming Chan Wai-Shing Tse Savio Wai-Ho Wong Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? Frontiers in Psychology testing effect anxiety attention fact learning working memory |
| title | Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? |
| title_full | Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? |
| title_fullStr | Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? |
| title_short | Can the Testing Effect for General Knowledge Facts Be Influenced by Distraction due to Divided Attention or Experimentally Induced Anxious Mood? |
| title_sort | can the testing effect for general knowledge facts be influenced by distraction due to divided attention or experimentally induced anxious mood |
| topic | testing effect anxiety attention fact learning working memory |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00969/full |
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