WHAT MAKES PEOPLE STUDY MORE - AN EVALUATION OF FACTORS THAT AFFECT SELF-PACED STUDY

Allocation of study time across items was investigated in three experi ments. According to the norm-affects-allocation hypothesis, when study ing an item, a person changes the sought-after degree of learning for the item (called the norm of study) in an attempt to achieve task goal s. As the norm of study is increased, more time will be allocated for study. This hypothesis was evaluated by having people pace their study of items for an eventual test of recall. As predicted, study time was greater (a) when points awarded for recalling an item increased, (b) when instructions emphasized mastering each item rather than quickly l earning each item, (c) when points deducted for each second of study d ecreased, and (d) when the likelihood an item would be on the test inc reased. Also, although allocating more study time was usually accompan ied by an increase in eventual recall, under several conditions people 's allocation of study time appeared sub-optimal. Discussion focuses o n current theory of self-paced study and people's apparent sub-optimal allocation of study time. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights r eserved.