Concept Map: What Does Retrieval Practice Do?

By: Megan Smith, Yana Weinstein, & Oliver Caviglioli

Download a PDF of the concept map here: 

Over the past week, we have been working with Oliver Caviglioli to develop a concept map that depicts how we conceptualize retrieval practice. There are a lot of things we as researchers take for granted about this cognitive process, and Oliver thought it would be useful to put them on a diagram. In addition to his talents as a data visualizer, you see, Oliver is also talented at teasing out important nuances in scientific thinking. 

The collaboration started with a Skype session between Megan and Oliver. In this session, Oliver asked a number of questions: What exactly happens when we retrieve? What is the student doing? What does this involve? What are the benefits, and how can we break them down?

Oliver then made a first pass at the concept map and sent us a draft. We spent a week going back and forth, and discussing every word. For us, it's not just semantics! And, voila!