Massed Vs. Distributive Practices Assignment

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Running Head: MASSED VS DISTRIBUTIVE PRACTICES
Massed Vs. Distributive Practices
Name
Affiliate Institution

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
Abstract
Learning of new ideas or skills involves a complex of physical and mental processes that play a major
role in the overall process. Talks and debated on what are the most effective ways to learn have been of
existence for a while and many hypotheses developed. This studies tries to compare between massed
study and distributive study as methods in the learning process and what advantage does each have
over the other. Two groups of participants were involved in this study, where one group was to study a
given material in 4 hours continuous while the other group was to study the same material in four hours
but spread in 2 days. The two groups were then required to do a text individually after 1 day or 2 weeks
after the study. The questions were marked and formed a basis of the results. From the result the mass
study group generally performed better than distributive but the difference was almost insignificant. In
conclusion it was noted that both massed and distributive studies have advantages and disadvantages
and none was better than the other.
Introduction
The ability to learn is one of the strongest trait that define human beings. Trying to comprehend how
the mind works and learns different things has been a topic of research for many years. In this context,
two prominent methods of study have been widely used which are massed and distributive practices.
Studies have been conducted to evaluate the benefits and disadvantage of the two methods to improve
the process of learning and memory retention (Rohrer 2006). Such studies provide appropriate
information to physical educators and instructors who can then adopt and implement the right method
for satisfactory results.
In massed practice, learning is continuous and focus is mostly on the duration in which the learning
takes place than the number of sessions taken to learn. Scientists emphasis that even though massed
practice can have resting periods, such, are of short duration. On the other hand distributive process
involve rest periods in between learning sessions. The relevance of a learning process depends on time
constraints, level of fatigue, kind of information learned and the number of participants (Kwon, 2015).
The effects of the spacing gap between tests have a variable impact on learning based on the type of
information involved. Most studies have shown the ability to retain information is better when using
distributive practices as compared to massed practices. Moreover the beneficial effects of spacing can
be observed in all age groups especially in kids. (Rohrer & Taylor, 2006) studied the effects of spaced
learning in abstract learning of mathematical problems. They concluded that distributive practice across
more than one assignment substantially improved retention more than massed into one assignment.
This was also noted even without increasing the number of assignments. This plays an impact in the
writing and publishing of books.
Studies have pointed out that a relatively longer distribution is essential to obtain the increased amount
of materials that students are capable of retaining. In conjunction with regular classroom activities,
distributed learning can provide a considerable improvement I memory and verbal materials (Wingard
et al., 2007).
Duration of spacing interval is one of the factors that play a significant role in determining the
effectiveness of distributive study. However, studies show that distributive practice does not support
such simplistic assumptions. An optimal lag period often depends on the targeted retention interval
(Schutte et al., 2015). Furthermore, multiple spaced out review opportunities provide better results as
compared to massing them together.

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
This study aims to assess massed and distributive processes in participants in a test delay of one day
and of two weeks. The interaction of these two independent variables will depend on several factors as
discussed by (Schutte et al., 2015). It is hypothesized that providing massed practice will improve the
proportion of correct information recalled at the final when there is one day test delay. On the
contrary, it is hypothesized that distributed practice will substantially improve the results of the test
performed after one week.
Method
Participants
The sample was taken from an online study as part of Swinburne Psychology Research Experience
Program. It consisted of 184 psychology students. 34% of whom were male, 64% were female and 2%
remained unreported. Their age ranged from 18-56 years (M= 26.56 years, SD= 7.60).
Materials
All students were asked to study chapter 2 on “Research in Psychology” of the Bernstein et al. text (p.
30-60). A 20-item fill-in-the-blank test was given to all the students who participated in this study.
However, group of them were given the distributed condition in which they need to study for two hours
without any unnecessary intervals on two successive days. While the other group were asked to study
the material at once in four hours, also without any unnecessary intervals. Few demographic questions
about age and gender were asked at the beginning of the study. A copy of the test is provided as
Appendix A. Additional materials included instructions of participants in the massed and also the
distributive study.
Procedure
First, all students who signed up for the study using a computer software called Qualtrics, were asked to
read a consent information statement that shows what they can expect and what to do or who to
contact if they experienced any disturbance during the study. They were informed that they are able to

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
discontinue the study at any point without any penalties. They were also notified that the study was
approved by the Swinburne University Human Research Ethics Committee (SUHREC). After that,
Students agreed to take part in this study, and they started their first part. This part included allocating a
group of participants to either distributed or massed strategy providing them with the directions needed
for each condition. It also asked them to answer some demographic questions. After allocating each
student to a study strategy, they were assigned to a test delay condition. Half of the participants were
requested to long on Qualtrics one day after their final study session, and the other half were requested
to log on two weeks after their final study session to complete the second part of the study. Depending
on their test delay condition, participants logged into Qualtrics either 24 hours or two weeks after their
last study session. All participants started doing the same 20-item fill-in-the-blank test and they were
given only 20 minutes to complete it. After completing the test, they were all debriefed about the aim of
the study, the researcher’s hypothesis including the Independent and dependent variables.
Results
The results of this study were derived from the responses given by the participants on the test
questions. The number of correct answers were determined and the mean and standard deviation
calculated. The mean could not be used in comparison of the different participants since each learning
strategy had different numbers of participants. It is because of this reason that the Relative Standard
deviation was determined and used in analysis.
Table below represents the mean, standard deviation and relative standard deviation in the Massed and
Distributive test results for both 1 day test and 2 weeks test delay.

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
Study
Strategy
1 day 2-weeks Overall
Mean SD N RSD Mean SD N RSD Mean SD N RSD
Massed 19.29 1.53 45 0.079 14.48 2.87 47 0.198 16.89 2.31 92 0.13
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Distributiv
e
18.45 1.52 47 0.082 17.03 1.45 45 0.085 17.74 1.49 92 0.08
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Overall 18.87 1.52 92 0.081 15.76 2.29 92 0.145 17.31 1.94 18
4
0.11
2
SD is the Standard deviation, RSD is the relative Standard Deviation and N is the number of participants.
Graph 1: The graph below shows a comparison in Results of test Paper done by participants in both
massed and distributive study, for both 1 day and 2 weeks delay.
Massed practice with 1 day
Massed practice with 2weeks
Distributive practice with 1day
Distributive practice with
2weeks
0 5 10 15 20 25
19.29
14.48
18.45
17.03
Graph 2: The graph below represents a comparison of correctly answered questions between
participants in the distributive study and those in the masses study;

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
Discussion
From the first graph, participants who were involved in the distributive study and participated in the 2
weeks delay test scored more than those who did the test after one day. This can be because in the 2
weeks delay the students had enough time to consolidate the information they learned earlier and since
in distributive study the information learned in mostly long term in terms of memory (Miles, 2014). The
difference in this results is however not significant and this may be due to the proposed hypothesis that
distributive learning is best in terms of knowledge and skills (Rogers, 2015).
On a similar note in the massed study as shown in graph 1, participants who did the test 2weeks after
the study performed better than those who did the test one day after the study. This may have occurred
to the pressure and stress that the participants on massed study went through having have to read a
four hour content study then do the test the next day. The 2 weeks delay participants however were not
stressed and the delay period may have given them a chance to think and comprehend what they had
learnt. This result however criticizes the perspective of (Wingard et al., 2007).
A comparison between the massed and distributive study showed that from the 1 day delay, the
participants who were assigned the distributive study performed better than those of the similar delay
in massed study. This could have been due to the fact that, in distributive study the workload was
distributed into manageable contents which were comprehendible. On the other hand in a massed
study, the participants could have likely crammed the whole study, material in the four hours and could
not remember the content well when answering the questions.
In the case of the 2 weeks delay, it is surprisingly evident from the first graph that the participants on
massed study performed better than those on distributive study. This however according to (Jucks,
2017) may prove the hypothesis that there is no major differences in the two modes of learning.
Massed; 16.89;
49%Distributive; 17.74;
51%
Massed Distributive

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
Nevertheless, it can be suspected that since the participants on massed study knew they were to be
tested in 2 weeks’ time, this may have changed the way in which they studied the material.
Another important observation seen in the first graph is that participants who did the test delayed for 2
weeks did scored better than those who did the 1 day delay test. This result shows that the gap in
distributive study is not only important for dividing study work but also can be applicable in the spacing
and determination of exam dates. This results are significant for institutions in writing down the exam
timetable and deciding exam dates.
From graph 2, which shows and overall performance of participants on both studies, we see that the
participants on distributive study generally performed better than those on mass study. This result is
significant in that it corresponds to most researches done that try to prove that distributive learning is
superior to massed learning in retaining of knowledge learned (Wingard et al., 2007). This difference is
however not significant and may be attributed to the fact that, this study had no control group and
therefore the outcomes could not be accurate. On the other hand maybe it could affirm (Jucks, 2017)
hypothesis that they is no major differences in the two studies.
The implication of these results is felt at an individual level and concerns on what method is suitable
depends on the individual. For some individual massed study is the effective way because it covers a lot
of content at very minimal break durations. This is important especially for individuals who do clash
programs that involve doing a lot of subjects within a short period of time. Distributive study on the
other hand is applicable for individuals especially in small kids, (Rohrer & Taylor, 2006), whereby
knowledge is completely new and repetition is important.
The outcomes of this study can be used by tertiary institutions in modifying their curriculums and
learning procedures. Distributive learning has been the most adopted mode of study in the sense that
lectures are usually 1-2hrs long and they happen once in a week. This ensures distribution of learning
content into small bits that are comprehendible. The gaps in between the sessions ensures that the
knowledge learned can be retrieved for future application. This way of studying is however altered by
lectures who miss initial classes from the beginning of the year and when they is no time, the propose
make up classes that contain lots of content which should be covered in less time. Institutions should
often do audits of their teaching processes to assess their relevance in effective learning.
The accuracy of the results in this study is however based on the genuineness of the participants. This
study was not done under strict supervision and this may have paved way for participants to either
intentionally or unwillingly ignore some instructions given. Recommendation for future studies to be
stricter in terms of supervision and more control tests be included to eliminate errors and possibility of
results occurring by chance.
For many decades now, learning has been associated more with the results rather than the learning
process itself (Greeno, 1964). This has led to increased instances of ineffective learning practices like
cramming and exam cheating just to achieve favorable results. In addition, institutions normally
recognize and reward students for their good grades but not the teacher who careful strategies on the
modes and methods of learning. The human brain is effective in learning of new ideas and converting
this new knowledge to long term retrievable memory takes time. This shows the importance of gaps
during the learning process and hence supports the distributive study method.

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
From this study we can conclude that distributive study is relevant and applicable especially in learning
processes where the knowledge learned need to be retrieved. We can also conclude that spacing gaps in
between learning session is important and this determines the possibilities of retrieval of such
knowledge in future. We can also say that although not well shown that massed learning is useful in
instances where a lot of work need to be covered in less time and the need for retrieval of the
knowledge is not so important. Finally, despite distributive study appearing to have a superior lead as
compared to massed study, the suitable mode of study is individualized and varies based on a person.

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References
Ciccone, D. (1973). Massed and distributed item repetition in verbal discrimination learning. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 101(2), 396-397.
Dempster,F.N.(1989).Spacing effects and their implications for theory and practice. Educational
Psychology Review,1 ,309-330
English, M., & Visser, T. (2013). Exploring the repetition paradox: The effects of learning context and
massed repetition on memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21(4), 1026-1032.
Garrett, H. (1940). Variability in learning under massed and spaced practice. Journal of Experimental
Psychology, 26(6), 547-567.
Greeno, J. (1964). Paired-associate learning with massed and distributed repetitions of items. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 67(3), 286-295.
Jucks, R., & Hillbrink, A. (2017). Perspective on Research and Teaching in Psychology: Enrichment or
Burden?. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 147572571770520.
Judd, C. (1995). Data Analysis: Continuing Issues in the Everyday Analysis of Psychological Data. Annual
Review of Psychology, 46(1), 433-465.
Miles, S. (2014). Spaced vs. massed distribution instruction for L2 grammar learning. System, 42, 412-
428.
Murphree, T .R. (1971). Effects of massed and distributed practice upon motor leaenig and retention of a
novel gross motor task
No authorship indicated. (1949). Case reports in clinical psychology. Journal of Consulting Psychology,
13(6), 450-450.

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Mass Vs. Distributive Practices
Rogers, J. (2015). Learning Second Language Syntax Under Massed and Distributed Conditions. TESOL
Quarterly, 49(4), 857-866.
Rohrer, D., & Taylor, K. (2006). The effects of overlearning and distributed practice on the retention of
mathematics knowledge. Applied Cognitive Psychology,20,1209-1224
Ruch, T. (1928). Factors influencing the relative economy of massed and distributed practice in learning.
Psychological Review, 35(1), 19-45.

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Appendix A
Research Methods Test
[Note: The questions were presented to the student simultaneously in this order.]
Instructions: Please answer these questions as accurately as possible.
1. __________________ is the process of assessing claims and making judgements on
the basis of well-supported evidence. <answer: Critical thinking>
2. _________________ refers to the degree to which the data (or measure) are stable
and consistent. <answer: Reliability>
3. A hypothesis is a specific, ______________ proposition about how two variables
relate to one another. <answer: testable>
4. Dr Wise is conducting a research study in which she is interested in the effects of
aerobic activity on weight loss. Aerobic activity is defined as 30 minutes of exercise
on the treadmill three times a week. This specific way of defining aerobic activity is
referred to as a(n) __________ definition. <answer: operational>
5. Researchers interested in rare and unique psychological disorders will likely use a
_____________ to better understand the symptoms and potential causes. <answer:
case study>
6. A disadvantage most associated with a __________ measure is that people may not
accurately report their thoughts or feelings. <answer: self-report or survey>
7. Correlation does not equal ___________. <answer: causation>
8. An experimental group receives the experimental treatment, whereas the
_________ group receives no treatment or a placebo. <answer: control>
9. In an experiment, the variable manipulated by the researcher is called the
____________ variable. <answer: independent>
10. In this experiment, what is the dependent variable? “The effect of daily walking
program on elderly people’s lung capacity”? <answer: lung capacity>
11. In an experiment, ___________ is important to ensure there are no systematic
differences between groups of participants. <answer: random assignment>
12. Sometimes experimenters may unintentionally influence participants to respond in a

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way that supports the experimenter’s hypothesis. This is called ___________.
<answer: experimenter bias>
13. The term “double-blind” refers to a study in which neither the experimenter nor the
______________ know which condition the participant is in. <answer: participant>
14. Our own Research Experience Program (REP) is an example of a ________________
sample. <answer: convenience>
15. ___________________ research provides an in-depth investigation into an issue,
often through conversation or interviews. <answer: Qualitative>
16. The mean, median, and mode are types of measures of ________________.
<answer: central tendency>
17. The _____________ of a data set is the difference between the highest and lowest
scores in that data set. <answer: range>
18. A _________________ correlation means that one variable increases as the other
variable decreases. <answer: negative>
19. A correlation coefficient of __________ suggests that there is no relationship
between two variables. <answer: 0>
20. Research in psychology must comply with _____________ guidelines. <answer:
ethical>