Individual differences in working memory and the benefit of retrieval practice

Previous research on the association between individual differences in working memory and the benefit of retrieval practice has yielded mixed results, with various studies showing no differential retrieval practice benefit as a function of working memory ability, and others finding either more or less retrieval practice benefit for individuals lower in working memory. The current studies addressed how (a) variations in the learning task procedure and (b) measurement of working memory might influence the presence and/or strength of the relationship between working memory and retrieval practice. To ensure high initial retrieval success in Experiments 1 and 2, we used a learning-to-criterion procedure which had not been used in previous retrieval practice studies that examined individual differences. Experiment 3 extended the results of Experiments 1 and 2 to different learning task materials, while attempting to replicate a previous study that had shown a specific retrieval practice benefit for individuals with lower working memory. Additionally, separate analyses were conducted using partial and absolute scoring methods for operation span to address variability in previous research. Across all three experiments, retrieval practice outperformed restudying, and this benefit held regardless of individual differences in working memory ability.