studies

Donovan (1999). A Meta-Analytic Review of the Distribution of Practice Effect: Now You See It, Now You Don’t.

Full Citation

Donovan, J. J., & Radosevich, D. J. (1999). A Meta-Analytic Review of the Distribution of Practice Effect: Now You See It, Now You Don’t. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(5), 795–805. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.5.795

Note: check out the reviewer notes below before you take the results listed here too seriously. They’re good results (many highly reliable), but with important caveats.

Key Results

Result Name Effect Size Reliability
Spaced Practice vs. Massed Practice (Performance)
Medium
Medium
High
High
Spaced Practice vs. Massed Practice (Learning)
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Spaced vs. Massed: Simple Motor Tasks
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Spaced vs. Massed: Moderate Cognitive Tasks
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Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Motor Tasks
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Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Tasks (Cognitive and Motor)
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Spaced vs. Massed: <1 min Intertrial Interval
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Spaced vs. Massed: 1-10 min Intertrial Interval
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Spaced vs. Massed: 10 min - 1 hr Intertrial Interval
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Spaced vs. Massed: >1 day Intertrial Interval
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Other Interesting Results

Result Name Effect Size Reliability
Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Motor Tasks, with 10 min - 1 hr Intertrial Intervals
Negligible Negative
Negligible Negative
Unreliable
Unreliable
Spaced vs. Massed: Highly Complex Tasks, with >1 day Intertrial Intervals
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Study Characteristics

Learning Domain Cognitive Learning, Motor Learning
Study Topic Massed Practice, Spaced Practice
Study Type
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Task Studied
Membership Required
Subject Type
Membership Required
Number of Studies
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Quality Score (%)*
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* Study quality assessed using JBI Systematic Review Checklist.

Reviewer Notes

While a quick read of the abstract suggests this paper is a take-down of the spaced practice effect — particularly a critique of a previous meta-analysis (Lee, T. D. & Genovese, E. D., 1988) — a careful read reveals that it is anything but. This meta-analysis has problems of its own (first and foremost, it arguably doesn’t even discuss “spaced practice” as it’s typically defined). Yet this paper makes an interesting contribution to the literature nonetheless. That is, the results reveal details about how one should practice skills to enhance performance within a given session.

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Abstract

The present review examined the relationship between conditions of massed practice and spaced practice with respect to task performance. A meta-analysis of 63 studies with 112 effect sizes yielded an overall mean weighted effect size of 0.46, indicating that individuals in spaced practice conditions performed significantly higher than those in massed practice conditions. Subsequent analyses, however, suggested that the nature of the task- being practiced, the intertrial time interval, and the interaction between these two variables significantly moderated the relationship between practice conditions and performance. In addition,, significantly higher effect sizes were found in studies with low methodological rigor as compared with those studies higher in rigor. Directions for future research and applications of the findings are discussed.

Link to Study

https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.5.795