Predictability modulates the beneficial effect of choice on learning

This dataset was collected for the paper named "Autonomy in learning: Predictability modulates the beneficial effect of choice on learning".
The abstract of the paper is as follow:
When people are offered the opportunity to choose, they tend to learn better. However, the cognitive mechanisms of the beneficial effect of choice on learning and memory remain to be further investigated. On one hand, self-determination theory has proposed that choices themselves might be rewarding, even when their consequences are not predictable. On the other hand, from a predictive coding perspective, choices facilitate learning because they enhance the prediction of upcoming information. To delve deeper into these two interpretations, we conducted 2 experiments using a learning task in which we independently manipulated choice and predictability. In Experiment 1, we included 55 participants, while Experiment 2 included 56 participants. In half of the blocks, participants could choose which object they wanted to see (choice), while in other blocks, the choices were made for them (no choice). Meanwhile, in half of the choice and no choice blocks, they would always see the selected object (high predictability), while in other blocks, they had 50% chance to see the selected object (low predictability). The memory accuracy was tested by a recognition task. In both experiments, we found that the facilitatory effect of choice on memory accuracy existed under both high and low predictability. However, this effect was smaller under low predictability. These findings provided evidence for both interpretations: choices enhance learning because they are rewarding by themselves, meanwhile facilitating prediction processes. This study has important implications for education, urging teachers to offer choices to students and to satisfy students’ needs in classroom settings.