PSYC FPX 4600 Assessment 1 Literature Review
Capella University
PSYC-FPX4600: Research Methods in Psychology
Professor’s Name
June 2024
PSYC FPX 4600 Assessment 1 This is an interesting relationship between scores from Quiz 3, which is the independent variable, and final exam scores, especially in the direction of predictors of academic performance in psychological literature (Bravo-Agapito et al., 2021). Past studies have explained how formative assessments through quizzes contribute to summative assessment outcomes by reinforcing and filling gaps in understanding. This literature review explores psychological concepts such as reinforcement and retrieval practice, wherein one can assume that quizzing the individual frequently would enhance his retention and performance on cumulative exams. The following analysis will direct the forming of a hypothesis concerning the positive correlation that may be present between Quiz 3 performance and final exam results.
Psychological Concepts
Typically, psychological research studies how basic ideas such as reinforcement, retrieval practice, and self-regulation shape learning and performance at school (Carpenter et al., 2022). Reinforcement, from the perspective of behavioral psychology, centers around how continuous feedback and reward will enhance desirable behaviors. For instance, quizzes such as Quiz 3 allow immediate feedback to the students, thus letting them identify their weaknesses and make them more active regarding engagement with the material. This reinforcement process ensures a student is well prepared in cumulative assessments like the case of the final exam in that repetition of content is very important in memory consolidation.
Retrospective retrieval practice is a method that is cognitively based and focuses on the role repeated testing has in improving long-term memory. The more a student is forced to recall information, the more neural pathways are solidified, thereby granting access to information over time. It has been shown that the more a student is exposed to retrieval tasks, the better the student performs on comprehensive exams (Agarwal et al., 2021). Thus, it is probable that results from Quiz 3 would indicate final exam results. The idea here is that a learning strategy should not fail to include low-stakes assessments to enhance learning.
Self-regulation theory is another significant psychological concept, which is that the students can prepare, track, and reflect on their learning strategies. Quizzes offer the opportunity for the student to judge his or her progress and adjust his or her study habits based on that. A good score on Quiz 3 might indicate that good preparation is going on, whereas a poor score could mean changes in the study techniques. This malleability encourages metacognition, helping students develop personal learning strategies that are more useful for them on final exams and other evaluations.
Lastly, the testing effect, a phenomenon well documented in psychological research, shows that the process of taking tests itself improves learning. Unlike passive review strategies, testing involves active engagement, which enhances memory encoding and retrieval. This is exactly what research into relationships between formative and summative assessments is intended to address. By analyzing the relationship between Quiz 3 and final exam performance, researchers can gain insight into how frequent, structured testing influences overall academic success, allowing for evidence-based recommendations to educational practices.
Predict Human Behaviour
Academic performance in students can be foretold using retrieval practice theory that explains repeated, active recalling of information strengthens the memory and enhances future performance. The retrieval practice theory can be used to predict that students who scored high in Quiz 3 effectively utilized retrieval practice to increase their ability to recall and apply information during the final exam. This link is supportive of the idea that higher Quiz 3 scores are associated with better final exam performance since retrieval practice promotes deeper learning and cognitive reinforcement.
Value and Limitations of a Theory
The value of retrieval practice theory is that the theory improves memory retention and, consequently academic outcomes. This theory promotes active student engagement in the recollection of information through the use of quizzes. This provides a practically applicable framework for designing tests that support learning (Greving et al., 2022). Numerous studies have shown that repetition in testing strengthens neural connections, thereby making information better retrievable and less subject to forgetting. This makes retrieval practice a very strong predictor of, and means of improving, performance on summative assessments like final exams, thus closely aligning with the hypothesis that Quiz 3 performance predicts final exam outcomes.
However, this limitation of retrieval practice theory is based on the assumption that everyone learns equally through frequent testing. Test anxiety and even individual differences in study strategy and prior knowledge can disrupt this retrieval practice (Ismail et al., 2022). Thirdly, it fails to consider time constraints or any motivational levels that influence what the student will deliver eventually in quizzes and final examinations. These limitations lead to the conclusion that although retrieval practice is such a beautiful concept, the application must also consider factors of the individual and their context to produce results.
Literature Review Supporting Thesis
A related plausible hypothesis in the area of psychology would be: “Higher scores on Quiz 3 positively correlate with final exam scores because both reflect the overall effect of retrieval practice on performance outcome.” This hypothesis rests on the theory of retrieval practice that argues repeated recall of information cements memory and improves subsequent performance (McDaniel, 2023). Quiz 3 will serve as a mid-term exam for better consolidating and practicing what is learned, which is valuable during the final examination. Such a rationale has its evidence in science; innumerable studies have demonstrated that numerous frequent low-stakes assessments result in improved short-term recall and long-term retention.
This hypothesis also serves the general principle of cognitive psychology, whereby it enlists students in the processes of learning de Bruin et al. 2020. In this sense, as such, quiz 3 is a tool that helps students memorize neural connections that might serve in the better recalling process and understanding better when examinations are at stringent times. Therefore, these psychological principles ensure that the hypothesis is evidence-based and directly related to the topic of research: testing whether there is a correlation between intermediate and final assessments’ performances.
References
Agarwal, P. K., Nunes, L. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2021). Retrieval practice consistently benefits student learning: a systematic review of applied research in schools and classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09595-9
Bravo-Agapito, J., Romero, S. J., & Pamplona, S. (2021). Early prediction of undergraduate Student’s academic performance in completely online learning: A five-year study. Computers in Human Behavior, 115, 106595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106595
