Testing boosts long-term memory relative to restudying (Bjork, 1975).
Although using flashcards is regarded as a potent form of self-testing,
little is known about conditions that affect flashcards’ effectiveness. One
factor may be whether one uses flashcards in pairs or alone. Participants
were randomly assigned to learn difficult vocabulary individually or in
pairs. In the paired condition, one participant tested the other for 20
min, after which they reversed roles. In the individual condition,
participants studied alone for 20 min and then tested themselves (or vice
versa). Everyone then completed a final cued recall test. Though
participants in the paired condition completed fewer test/study cycles,
their final test recall equaled that of the individual condition. Further,
paired flashcard use yielded more accurate predictions of final
test performance than the individual condition, which overestimated
performance by two letter grades. Thus, paired flashcard use is more
efficient and improves metacognitive judgments. These findings may be
especially crucial for students preparing for high-stakes exams, for which
erroneous study decisions can have devastating consequences.