They were either tested before they read the text or given additional time to study

• Predicted that testing beforehand would enhance later memory recall
• 63 undergraduates who were given extra credit
• Questions were fill in the blank or free response questions
• Final test of all 10 testable items-participants in the test condition had 5 questions that were already pre-tested-all questions in the final test were new for the control group who had extended study time
• Learning phase-participants in the treatment group were given one of two pretests and given 2 minutes to answer them
• Everyone had to study the passage for 8 minutes
• Participants in the control group with extra study time were given 10 minutes
• All participants answered the Time 2 test which had 10 questions (untimed)
• Participants answered about 5% of the questions correctly on the pretest
• The pretest ended up resulting in a better posttest score- M=75% & SE=3.2 vs. M=56% & SE=2.7
• Pre-tested items were better recalled than items that were not tested-<=75% & SE=3.2 vs. M=50% & SE=3.4
• This reveals that answering incorrectly (failed tests) can improve learning
• This effect might be due to the fact that the test pointed attention to testable items