The Effects Of Testing On Category Learning And Metacognitive Judgments

Testing is a means to evaluate the learning performance,and it is also an efficient learning strategy.However,its role as learning strategy is often ignored.In the process of learning,compared with restudying,testing can significantly improve learning performance,which is called Testing effect,as well as Retrieval Practice effect.Previous studies preferred to use mutual irrelevant items as learning material,and verified taking tests can improve long-term retention but meanwhile enable learners underestimate their own learning performance.Based on this,the study attempts to further investigate the effect of testing on category learning and its metacognitive judgments.Category learning,as a high-level complex cognitive activity requiring inference and summary,consists of two separate and competing systems,namely,Rule-based system and Information-integrated system.Metacognition in learning process includes not only individual’s monitoring of their own cognitive process,but also cognitive control of thinking and learning activities.The study conducted four experiments to explore the effects of testing on dual systems of category learning,and the effects of different types of testing on category learning and its metacognitive judgments.In Experiment 1,in order to explore the influence of taking tests in learning process on the dual system,Rule-based categories and Information-integrated categories were adopted as learning materials in Experiment 1A and Experiment 1B respectively to compare the effects of testing(testing with feedback and testing without feedback)and restudying(observational learning and feedback learning)on category learning,The results of Experiment 1 showed that testing tend to promote Rule-based category learning but did not promote Information-integrated category learning.In experiment 1A,the difference between testing with feedback condition and other conditions was not significantly,which may result from that the study time is too short to let individual complete learning insufficiently.Therefore,Experiment 2extended the initial learning period on the basis of experiment 1A,and added the index of metacognitive judgments to explore the influence of testing on Rule-based category learning and its metacognitive judgments.Experiment 2 repeated the results of Experiment 1 and proved that testing could promote category learning,but only in condition of testing with feedback.Moreover,compared with observational learning and feedback learning,taking tests with feedback in the learning process was the most effective way of category learning.As for metacognitive judgments,Experiment 2found that even though the test could promote Rule-based category learning,it would reduce the accuracy of metacognitive judgments.Specifically,learners would underestimate their future performance.Combine the results of Experiment 1 and Experiment 2,it can be found that Testing effect did exist in Rule-based category learning.Based on this,Experiment 3 and 4 were conducted to further explore which test types could enhance category learning.In Experiment 3,we compared the testing with and without response,that is,whether learners answered or not during the testing process would affect category learning,and compare the difference of metacognitive judgments.The results showed that the retrieval practice could promote category learning regardless of whether learners response or not.However,learners who responded in the test were more likely to underestimate their further learning performance.In addition,Experiment 4 explored the effects of partial and full tests on category learning and metacognitive judgments.The results revealed that both partial and full tests could promote Rule-based category learning,but participants who completed full test were more likely to underestimate their further learning performance.This study repeatedly verified that testing can promote category learning.Moreover,it expanded the previous research.Firstly,the study revealed that testing can promote Rule-based category learning,but it does not affect Informationintegrated category learning.Secondly,taking tests and providing feedback in the learning process can improve Rule-based category learning,but can reduce learners’ accuracy of metacognitive judgments to predict their learning performance.Thirdly,regardless of whether learners are required to explicitly response the retrieved answer during the testing process,testing can promote Rule-based category learning as long as learners perform the cognitive operation of retrieval practice,but at the same time,testing would also reduce learners’ evaluation of their learning performance.Finally,testing promotes Rule-based category learning regardless of whether the scope of test is partial or full,but full testing enable learners to underestimate their own learning effectiveness.