Key Results
Skill Acquisition
| Result Name | Effect Size | Reliability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill Acquisition (Session 1) |
 Large |
 High |
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| Skill Acquisition (Session 2) |
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| Skill Acquisition (Session 3) |
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| Skill Acquisition (Session 4) |
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| Forgetting (Acquisition vs. Retention) |
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Spaced Practice vs. Massed Practice
| Result Name | Effect Size | Reliability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgetting (Spaced vs. Massed Practice) |
 Medium |
 Medium |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Acquisition (Performance) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Retention (Learning) |
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Other Interesting Results
| Result Name | Effect Size | Reliability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judgments of Learning (Session 4) |
Medium |
Medium |
Study Characteristics
| Learning Domain | Motor Learning |
| Study Topic | Massed Practice, Spaced Practice |
| Study Type |
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| Task Studied |
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| Subject Type |
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| Quality Score (%)* |
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* Study quality assessed using JBI Systematic Review Checklist.
Reviewer Notes
This study supports the use of spaced practice in a moderately complex movement skill — here, a golf putting task. That may not sound complex to many people but:
- Compared to most laboratory tasks in motor learning research, it is complex.
- If you play golf yourself, try not to take for granted the skills you’ve developed since you were a beginner… and, consider how much better you could be, and then reconsider how “simple” it really is.
- It involves precise multi-joint coordination, and performance continues to improve for a long time (and mastery takes a very long time).
That makes this an interesting study to consider when considering the efficacy of spaced practice.
Abstract
This study examined judgments of learning and the long-term retention of a discrete motor task (golf putting) as a function of practice distribution. The results indicated that participants in the distributed practice group performed more proficiently than those in the massed practice group during both acquisition and retention phases. No significant differences in retention performance were found as a function of three retention intervals (1, 7, and 28 days). Echoing actual acquisition scores, participants in the distributed practice group predicted more proficient retention performance than did those in the massed practice group. Although all participants predicted more proficient performance than was actually achieved, the difference between predicted and actual performance failed to reach significance.
Link to Study
https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2004.10609146