Does retrieval practice protect memory against test anxiety?

Mariela Mihaylova

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Conference poster (not in proceedings)

Does retrieval practice protect memory against test anxiety? : Poster presented at the European Conference for Cognitive Psychology (Lille, France), August 29 – September 2, 2022

Mariela Mihaylova ORCID UniDistance Suisse
Alodie Rey-Mermet (Contributor) ORCID UniDistance Suisse
Nicolas Rothen (Contributor) ORCID UniDistance Suisse

2022

English Test anxiety (TA; feelings of acute stress and worry experienced during evaluative situations) decreases memory. In contrast, retrieval practice enhances memory compared to restudying, a finding known as the testing effect. It is still unknown whether retrieval practice may counteract the detrimental effects of TA on memory. In the current study, participants learned two texts using retrieval practice and restudy learning strategies. One week later, participants performed a memory recall task where they recalled as many items from both texts as possible. Prior to recall, half of the participants were given evaluative instructions and the other half were given non-evaluative control instructions. Preliminary results suggest potentially higher anxiety levels in the evaluative group at the first point of measurement. Moreover, memory was seemingly higher for the text learned with retrieval practice, replicating the testing effect. However, the impact of retrieval practice on TA is not yet clear.

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