Molly is trying out for a play next week.She asks you if she should study the lines a little bit each night, or in one intense session the day before the tryouts.Based on what memory research has shown regarding distributed versus massed practice, you should recommend that Molly:
A)spend one intense study session early in the week, and then relax
B)space her study sessions out over the full week
C)spend one intense study session the night before the tryouts
D)only read the play through once before the tryouts, to reduce interference

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Distributed practice has been shown to be more effective than massed practice for long-term retention of information. This means that Molly should space out her study sessions over the full week leading up to the tryouts. This will give her brain time to consolidate the information and will increase the likelihood that she will remember her lines during the actual tryouts. Option A is not ideal because cramming the material into one intense session can lead to forgetting and interference. Option C is also not recommended because waiting until the night before the tryouts to study may lead to increased stress and anxiety, which can negatively impact memory. Option D is not recommended because simply reading the play once is unlikely to be enough for long-term retention of the lines.

Molly Is Trying Out for a Play Next Week