Why do people overestimate the effectiveness of blocked learning
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21640988 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julia Krasnoff (University of Zurich, corresponding author), Clara Overkott (0000-0002-8954-7381, University of Zurich) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1502-1512 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1069-9384 • E-ISSN: 1531-5320 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3758/s13423-022-02225-7 |
| PMID | 36525221 |
| OpenAlex | W4311670717 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
Interleaved learning has been shown to be better for delayed memory performance than blocked learning. Nevertheless, people judge blocked learning to be more effective. In the present work, we tested different explanations for this metacognitive bias. Across three experiments, participants studied sequences of object-color associations for a final color-reproduction test. In Experiment 1, colors of a sequence were selected from one color category (blocked-study condition) or distinct color categories (interleaved-study condition). Participants gave higher judgements of learning (JOLs) for objects studied in the blocked condition, although performance was better for objects in the interleaved condition. In Experiment 2, participants’ immediate memory performance after each sequence was additionally measured. JOLs were again higher for objects in the blocked condition, and they mimicked participants’ immediate memory performance suggesting a link between participants’ evaluations of the learning strategies and their immediate memory effects. In Experiment 3, the objects of one sequence were either grouped by category (blocked-study condition) or derived from distinct categories (interleaved-study condition). Neither JOLs, nor immediate performance was affected by this manipulation of blocked learning, speaking against the possibility that people prefer blocked learning because of habit only. We conclude that people overestimate the effectiveness of blocked learning due to the immediate memory boost caused by blocked learning and not due to their previously acquired habit to study in blocks. This study provides insights into how people evaluate the effectiveness of learning strategies and why these evaluations are not always accurate
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Metacognition · Sequence learning · Computer Science · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Memory Processes and Influences · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Monitoring one's own knowledge during study
Test-Enhanced Learning
Discrete fixed-resolution representations in visual working memory
Self-Regulated Learning
Memory and Metamemory Considerations in the Training of Human Beings
The detrimental effect of semantic similarity in short-term memory tasks
The effects of elaboration on working memory and long-term memory across age
Similarity matters
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |