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Learning through retrieval and self-testing

Published on August 31, 2026   8 min

A selection of talks on Management, Leadership & Organisation

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0:00
Hi, my name is Dr. Cynthia Nebel. I'm the Director of Learning Services at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Today, I'm going to talk to you about learning through retrieval and self-testing.
0:20
Retrieval practice is this really interesting strategy that improves learning by literally practicing retrieval, and this happens through a lot of different effects. Retrieval practice: one thing that can happen is as you practice retrieving the information that you're studying, you might get some feedback about what you know and what you don't know. This both benefits you in knowing what you know and what you don't know, but also might allow you to correct any errors that you have made. That feedback can then lead to better study allocation. Meaning that once you know which areas you're weaker in, you can allocate your study so that you are more efficient by studying the things you really need to. In addition, doing that retrieval practice might be motivating. When you realize that you don't know as much as you thought you did, that can lead to increased persistence and more studying that in turn leads to better long-term learning. Now all three of those effects: increased feedback, study allocation, and motivation, are what we call indirect effects on learning. So retrieval practice causes those, and then those lead to additional learning. But the really cool thing about retrieval practice is that it has a direct effect on learning. That is just by bringing information to mind, you strengthen that information, which leads to better long-term retention. So retrieval by itself, in the absence of any feedback or study or motivation, just by bringing information to mind, you strengthen that information.

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Learning through retrieval and self-testing

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