Question 1

The term overlearning refers to engaging learners in additional practice after they have achieved a specified performance criterion.

Accepted Answer

Overlearning is the process of practicing skills or knowledge beyond the point of mastery, which can help solidify learning and improve retention. It is done after learners have achieved a specified performance criterion.

Question 2

The classic study by Longman and Baddeley, which involved the training of postal workers to perform a keyboarding skill, demonstrated that distributed practice is better for learning than massed practice when it applies to the length and distribution of practice sessions.

Accepted Answer

Longman and Baddeley's study found that distributed practice (spreading out practice sessions over time) was more effective for learning keyboarding skills than massed practice where the same amount of practice was given in one longer session.

Question 3

The results of the experiment by Dail and Christina in which novice golfers practiced putting, the massed practice group accurately predicted their retention test performance during the practice trials.

Accepted Answer

The statement is incorrect. The experiment by Dail and Christina found that the distributed practice group accurately predicted their retention test performance during the practice trials, not the massed practice group.

Question 4

A limitation of research investigating massed vs. distributed practice is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A limitation of research investigating massed vs....

Question 5

When increasing the amount of practice beyond a certain point does not lead to results proportionally beneficial for learning, the practice has reached a point of:

Accepted Answer

Diminishing returns occur when the marginal benefit of an activity decreases as the amount of that activity increases. In this case, it means that practicing beyond a certain point does not lead to proportionally beneficial results for learning. This is because the brain and body can only handle so much stimulation and repetition before becoming fatigued or reaching a plateau in their ability to learn and improve. Therefore, it makes sense to stop practicing after a certain point in order to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of learning.

Question 6

Baddely and Longman (1978) compared various massed and distributed training schedules for training postal workers and found the worst schedule for learning to be:

Accepted Answer

The worst schedule for learning, according to Baddeley and Longman's findings, was 2-hour sessions twice a day for 3 weeks, as it likely led to cognitive overload and insufficient time between sessions for memory consolidation.

Question 7

Raoul practiced a skill for 30 seconds and then rested for 5-seconds between trials. Scarlett practiced the same skill for 30 seconds and rested for 40-seconds between trials. Which of the following best describes their practice situation:

Accepted Answer

Raoul's shorter rest periods indicate a massed practice condition, where practice sessions are closely spaced or even continuous. Scarlett's longer rest periods suggest a distributed practice condition, where sessions are spaced out with longer breaks in between, allowing for better memory consolidation and skill acquisition.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes a general rule about practice distribution schedules for the length and distribution of practice sessions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following best describes a...

Question 9

Practice schedule A involves two 1-hour practice sessions on each of three days, while schedule B involves one 1-hour practice session on each of six days. In this scenario, schedule A would be referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Practice schedule A involves two 1-hour practice...

Question 10

In the research study involving fifth-grade students who were learning a football skill, a comparison of teacher-designed and student-designed practice formats showed that the _______ format led to better learning of the skill.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the research study involving fifth-grade students...

Question 11

Although research evidence supports overlearning as an effective practice strategy for learning, it is important to remember that the amount of practice is:

Accepted Answer

While the amount of practice is important for learning, it is not the most critical variable. Factors like variability and feedback also play important roles in influencing skill learning.

Question 12

Which of the following statements are true?

Accepted Answer

Continuous skills require more rest intervals for retention and are better learned with distributed schedules. Discrete skills, however, benefit from massed schedules due to the ability to quickly build muscle memory and recall the skill.

Question 13

In the study by Schendel and Hagman (1982), the machine gun assembly-disassembly skill that was shown to benefit from overtraining is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

The machine gun assembly-disassembly skill mentioned in the study is an example of a procedural skill, which involves the execution of a set of steps or procedures in a specified order to complete a task. Overtraining has been shown to improve the automaticity and efficiency of performing procedural skills. The other options (continuous, dynamic, and open skills) refer to different types of motor skills that are not relevant to the task described in the study.

Question 14

If intertrial intervals are shorter than the length of a practice trial, then the practice schedule is considered to be a ________ schedule.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If intertrial intervals are shorter than the...

Question 15

Learning _______ skills seems to be hindered by practice in a distributed schedule.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Learning _______ skills seems to be hindered...

Question 16

Research has shown that the overlearning strategy benefits the learning of all types of motor skills.

Accepted Answer

Overlearning benefits the learning of many, but not all, types of motor skills; its effectiveness can vary depending on the complexity and nature of the skill being learned.

Question 17

When massed practice hinders the learning of continuous skills, the most probable cause is:

Accepted Answer

Massed practice involves continuous repetition of a skill without breaks in between. This can lead to physical and mental fatigue, which can hinder learning. Therefore, the most probable cause of hindered learning in this case would be fatigue induced by massed practice.

Question 18

Research has shown that the general guideline for establishing the frequency of practice sessions is that [more and shorter] or [fewer and longer] sessions are preferable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research has shown that the general guideline...

Question 19

The experiment by Shea and Kohl found that for learning a task that required the participants to use a specified amount of _______, overlearning resulted in poorer learning than less practice.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The experiment by Shea and Kohl found...

Question 20

Although the experiment involving the training of U.S. Army soldiers to assemble and disassemble a machine gun found that both the immediate overtraining and the "refresher" overtraining yielded similar beneficial retention results, they recommended the use of the ________ overtraining procedure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although the experiment involving the training of...

Quiz 17: The Amount and Distribution of Practice