Key Results
| Result Name | Effect Size | Reliability | |||||
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Simple Tasks (Immediate Performance) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Simple Tasks (Long-Term Learning, 2 Weeks) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Simple Tasks (Long-Term Learning, 1 Year) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Tasks (Immediate Performance) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Tasks (Long-Term Learning, 2 Weeks) |
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| Spaced vs. Massed: Complex Tasks (Long-Term Learning, 1 Year) |
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Study Characteristics
| Learning Domain | Procedural Learning |
| Study Topic | Massed Practice, Spaced Practice |
| Study Type |
Membership Required
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| Task Studied |
Membership Required
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| Subject Type |
Membership Required
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| Quality Score (%)* |
Membership Required
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* Study quality assessed using JBI Systematic Review Checklist.
Reviewer Notes
The training of surgical skills is a common real-world skill investigated in motor learning research. This study looked at whether the benefits of spaced practice — known for many decades to be beneficial for learning — apply to surgical training, because (it claims) most training occurs on a massed practice schedule because it’s easier to organize. This is a good point — massed practice is often associated with “cramming”, but sometimes it’s simply practical. Generally, the results show that once again spaced practice is superior. But what makes this study more interesting is that it breaks down the effect on simple versus complex skills, and the follow-up periods are very long — testing a year after training.
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