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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Overlearning</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Not to be confused with <a href="Overtraining" title="Overtraining">Overtraining</a>.</div>
<p><b>Overlearning</b> refers to practicing newly acquired skills beyond the point of initial mastery. The term is also often used to refer to the <a href="Pedagogy" title="Pedagogy">pedagogical</a> theory that this form of practice leads to <a href="Automaticity" title="Automaticity">automaticity</a> or other beneficial consequences.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Early_studies">Early studies</h2></div>
<p><a href="Memory" title="Memory">Memory</a> researcher <a href="Hermann_Ebbinghaus" title="Hermann Ebbinghaus">Hermann Ebbinghaus</a> performed classical overlearning studies in the late 1890s.<sup id="cite_ref-Murphy_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murphy-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> He noticed that memory for learned material decreased over time (see also <a href="Forgetting_curve" title="Forgetting curve">forgetting curve</a>). Ebbinghaus recognized that lists of nonsense syllables became more difficult to recall over time, and some lists required more review time to regain 100% recall. He defined <b>overlearning</b> as the number of repetitions of material after which it can be recalled with 100% accuracy.<sup id="cite_ref-Murphy_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Murphy-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Contemporary_work">Contemporary work</h2></div>
<p>A 1992 <a href="Meta-analysis" title="Meta-analysis">meta-analysis</a> suggested that overlearning does significantly affect recall over time. It also concluded that the size of this effect may be moderated by the amount of overlearning, task type, and length of retention.<sup id="cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Driskel_et_al.-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The meta-analysis included 15 studies. These 15 studies tested overlearning effects on physical and cognitive tasks. Both types of task showed an effect of overlearning. The effect size for physical tasks was smaller than the effect size for cognitive tasks.<sup id="cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Driskel_et_al.-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The amount of overlearning affected retention: more overlearning led to more retention on both types of task.<sup id="cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Driskel_et_al.-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The length of the retention interval also affected overlearning, but the effects were different for physical and cognitive tasks. Whereas participants overlearning physical tasks increased in ability during the retention interval, participants who overlearned cognitive tasks decreased in recall ability over time.<sup id="cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Driskel_et_al.-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Some recent studies explicitly examined the interaction of overlearning with retention interval, and concluded that the effects of overlearning tend to be fairly short-lived.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Overlearning may be more useful in instances when learners only need short-term retention of the material.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Overlearning_geography_facts_and_word_definitions">Overlearning geography facts and word definitions</h3></div>
<p>In one study, researchers examined the effects of overlearning <a href="Geography" title="Geography">geography</a> facts or word definitions.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> After one week, overlearners recalled more geography facts and word definitions than non-overlearners, but this improvement gradually disappeared after the study.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This research suggests that overlearning may be an inefficient study method for long-term retention of geography facts and word definitions.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Overlearning improves short-term retention of material, but learners must also spend more time studying. Over time the improvements created by overlearning fade, and the learner is no better off than someone who did not spend time overlearning the material.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Overlearning_mathematics">Overlearning mathematics</h3></div>
<p>In another study, researchers compared the effects of overlearning and distributed practice on <a href="Mathematics" title="Mathematics">mathematics</a> knowledge.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Distributed practice refers to practice that is spaced over time. In Experiment 1, participants completed 10 math problems either all at once or distributed across two sessions. Participants in the distributed practice condition performed no differently from participants in the single-session condition one week later, but distributed practice participants did perform better than single-session participants four weeks later. In Experiment 2, participants completed either three or nine practice problems in one sitting. When participants were retested one or four weeks later, no differences were found between three-problem and nine-problem participants. Researchers found no effect of overlearning on mathematics <a href="Recall_(memory)" title="Recall (memory)">retention</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Spaced_repetition" title="Spaced repetition">Spaced repetition</a></li>
<li><a href="Educational_technology" title="Educational technology">Educational technology</a>&nbsp;– Use of technology in education to improve learning and teaching</li>
<li><a href="Muscle_memory" title="Muscle memory">Muscle memory</a>&nbsp;– Consolidating a motor task into memory through repetition</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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</style><cite id="CITEREFMurphy1999" class="citation book cs1">Murphy, Gardner (1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=CGs04j1ypooC&amp;q=murphy+ebbinghaus+historical+introduction+to+modern+psychology&amp;pg=PA445"><i>An Historical Introduction to Modern Psychology</i></a>. International Library of Psychology. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&nbsp;<bdi>978-0-415-21034-8</bdi>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Driskel_et_al.-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Driskel_et_al._2-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFDriskellWillis,_R._P.Copper,_C.1992" class="citation journal cs1">Driskell, James E.; Willis, R. P.; Copper, C. (1992). "Effect of Overlearning on Retention". <i>Journal of Applied Psychology</i>. <b>77</b> (5): <span class="nowrap">615–</span>622. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1037%2F0021-9010.77.5.615">10.1037/0021-9010.77.5.615</a>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Rohrer_et_al._2004-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_et_al._2004_3-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFRohrerTaylor,_K.Pashler,_H.Wixted,_J._T.2004" class="citation journal cs1">Rohrer, Doug; Taylor, K.; Pashler, H.; Wixted, J. T.; Cepeda, N. J. (2004). "The Effect of Overlearning on Long-Term Retention". <i>Applied Cognitive Psychology</i>. <b>19</b> (3): <span class="nowrap">361–</span>374. <a href="CiteSeerX_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="CiteSeerX (identifier)">CiteSeerX</a>&nbsp;<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.374.1496">10.1.1.374.1496</a></span>. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1002%2Facp.1083">10.1002/acp.1083</a>.</cite></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Rohrer_&amp;_Taylor_4-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFRohrerTaylor,_K.2006" class="citation journal cs1">Rohrer, Doug; Taylor, K. (2006). "The Effects of Overlearning and Distributed Practise on the Retention of Mathematics Knowledge". <i>Applied Cognitive Psychology</i>. <b>20</b> (9): <span class="nowrap">1209–</span>1224. <a href="CiteSeerX_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="CiteSeerX (identifier)">CiteSeerX</a>&nbsp;<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.742.1644">10.1.1.742.1644</a></span>. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1002%2Facp.1266">10.1002/acp.1266</a>.</cite></span>
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