The effect of testing versus restudy on retention: a meta-analytic review of the testing effect.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Meta-analysis of experimental trials evaluating testing versus restudy on retention
PubMed 25150680 · doi:10.1037/a0037559
What was done
A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of testing versus restudy on memory retention and to assess theoretical accounts regarding effortful processing and semantic elaboration.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes, sample sizes, or confidence intervals. It qualitatively reports that testing produced greater retention than restudying, with initial recall tests yielding larger benefits than recognition tests, supporting effortful processing mechanisms over semantic elaboration.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes evidence that active retrieval enhances memory retention compared to passive review, with larger benefits tied to more demanding retrieval formats.
Limits
The abstract omits critical details including the number of included studies, total participant count, pooled effect sizes, study heterogeneity, and risk of publication bias.