Here's hoping I beat nest0r to the punch. ;-)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/scienc...ral&src=me

Anki reviews, test taking...same difference, right?

They really need to remove the use of the word "test" here, it's misleading in less contextualized areas (such as the headline), and will probably be confusing for others in article(s), esp. if compounded by the headlines...

Yeah, I wouldn't call just writing down everything you remember from the article a "test" (when I think of tests I think of things other people formulated to test me). When I study I don't just read, I also try to organize the information in some way.

It's interesting that trying to organize the information from memory rather than doing it with the article in front of them was more effective.

Science learning easier when students put down textbooks and actively recall information - Much better headline.

I thought the findings were particularly interesting for independent learners (and JLPT-takers) because the tests weren't being taken for the sake of a grade, credential, or qualification, which is usually not the case for academic testing.

I'm wondering if other uses of the studied material might function in the same way as the testing did in the study, such as, in the case of language, any form of L2 production, like speaking, or writing without recourse to reference sources. And what about SRS reviews?

Anna B Wrote:I thought the findings were particularly interesting for independent learners (and JLPT-takers) because the tests weren't being taken for the sake of a grade, credential, or qualification, which is usually not the case for academic testing.

I'm wondering if other uses of the studied material might function in the same way as the testing did in the study, such as, in the case of language, any form of L2 production, like speaking, or writing without recourse to reference sources. And what about SRS reviews?

It's not 'testing' so much as 'active recall'/retrieval - this might make it easier to see the many related discussions about the concept and applications to other areas of self-study/output/etc.

PS - Here's the original paper: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47303015/Scien...ce-1199327 - Retrieval Practice Produces More Learning than Elaborative Studying with Concept Mapping