The effect of spaced learning on memory persistence in elementary-school students

JULIETA CORREA; ALEJO BARBUZZA; JUAN G. RIBOLDI; FABRICIO BALLARINI; HAYDEE VIOLA

Porto

Congreso; ISN - ESN Meeting; 2023

International Society for Neuroscience

Several studies showed the superiority of spaced over massed learning in the formation and persistence of long-term memories (LTM). Based on these results, this effect could be used to improve the memory duration of students in a school scenario. Here, we studied the effects of spaced learning to promote memory persistence in elementary-school students. We designed a task of two learning sessions to test graphic memory based on Rey Osterrieth’s figure test and evaluated different inter-trial intervals (ITI) between sessions. Students were allowed to copy a figure at the training session and they were asked to draw it again during the test session. The control group realized a single copy session, the retraining group had two identical copy sessions, and a third group performed a copy session and a test session as the second learning. The memory persistence was evaluated 7 days after the second learning session. The LTM evaluated in the control group dropped significantly over the weeks. We found a LTM-persistence enhancement in the group of students that received a second learning session (test or retraining) 2 days, 1 or 2 weeks after the first one. However when the ITI between sessions was 3 or 6 weeks, the retraining was more effective to promote memory persistence. Also, we observed that the retraining session enhanced this persistence assesed 8 weeks after the second training sesión, indicating that the improvement was sustained over time. We propose that this effect could depend on the students' memory retention level at the time of the second learning session. These findings contribute to designing a strategy to improve memory persistence in elementary-school students.