THE VISUAL TESTING EFFECT REQUIRES VISUAL PATTERN COMPLETION

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 30, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Jennifer Gove¹ (jennifer.gove@colorado.edu), David E. Huber¹, Rosemary A. Cowell¹; ¹University of Colorado Boulder

Several theories seek to explain the testing effect, in which retention is better enhanced by retrieval practice than by restudy. Some theories propose that the testing effect requires high-level semantic information; other theories are domain general, e.g., the claim that retrieval practice strengthens associations between features of the item (intra-item learning). We ran three behavioral experiments (one replicated under fMRI) to examine the visual testing effect while manipulating the level of semantic information (e.g., everyday, nameable objects versus abstract, less-nameable objects). We exploited visual occlusion to promote intra-item learning by presenting an aperture “porthole” view of a small part of the object, asking participants to recall/imagine the whole object. In Experiment 1, we found a testing effect for both nameable and abstract objects, with a numerically larger effect for abstract. In Experiment 2, we removed the intra-item learning advantage, instead pairing each object with a word and cueing recall via that paired word. Without intra-item learning, we found no testing effect for either stimulus type. In Experiment 3, we replicated Experiment 1, but replaced the abstract objects with Chinese characters, to further reduce semantic content. As in Experiment 1, we found a testing effect for both nameable objects and Chinese characters, and no interaction with stimulus type. A preliminary fMRI version of Experiment 1 replicated the behavioral findings, and BOLD data from visual cortex suggested that retrieval practice/restudy led to better visual recall at final test (i.e., better pattern completion, measured with multi-variate pattern analysis) relative to novel, unlearned items.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Other