研究人員報告說,，測驗并不只是告訴我們我們對某事物的記憶有多好,，測驗實際上還可幫助我們記憶某事物,。
關(guān)鍵性的原因之一看來是，當(dāng)我們在被測試的時候會比我們只是在學(xué)習(xí)時給予我們自己更為有效的心理暗示,。 Mary Pyc 和 Katherine Rawson在其撰寫的Brevium中稱這些心理提示為“介體”,，并將介體定義為我們試圖記住的與“目標(biāo)”的某種提示相聯(lián)系的字、短語或概念,。 他們假定,，在測驗中所用的介體比在簡單地學(xué)習(xí)時所用的介體更可能被記住且能更有效地使用。
為了測試這種假設(shè),，研究人員給100名大學(xué)生呈現(xiàn)了48對諸如“wingu-cloud”這樣的斯瓦西里語的字和英語字,。 在最初的學(xué)習(xí)階段，學(xué)生們被要求提出看上去或聽起來與外語提示類似的介體，而這些介體與該英語目標(biāo)在語義上是相關(guān)的,。 在“wingu-cloud”這個例子中,，“wing”可能就是介體。 那些在記憶過程的中途被測驗的學(xué)生會在最終的測試中比那些中途未被測驗的學(xué)生獲得更好的成績,。 并且,，在第一次的測驗時就要求學(xué)生記住他們自己的介體可進(jìn)一步提高他們的成績。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦英文摘要：
Science DOI:10.1126/science.1191465
Why Testing Improves Memory: Mediator Effectiveness Hypothesis
Mary A. Pyc* and Katherine A. Rawson
A wealth of research has established that practice tests improve memory for the tested material. Although the benefits of practice tests are well documented, the mechanisms underlying testing effects are not well understood. We propose the mediator effectiveness hypothesis, which states that more-effective mediators (that is, information linking cues to targets) are generated during practice involving tests with restudy versus during restudy only. Effective mediators must be retrievable at time of test and must elicit the target response. We evaluated these two components of mediator effectiveness for learning foreign language translations during practice involving either test-restudy or restudy only. Supporting the mediator effectiveness hypothesis, test-restudy practice resulted in mediators that were more likely to be retrieved and more likely to elicit targets on a final test.
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
