Testing potentiates new learning：The Role of Lag

Interim testing during continuous learning can benefit subsequent learning of new information, but the effects of lag (the time between the presentation of original and new learning) between successive learning episodes remain unknown. In two experiments, we investigated the effects of introducing different lags (1min and 6min) during multi-list learning on new learning. Participants studied four lists of weakly associated cue words and performed recall and relearning tasks after studying Lists 1-3. Memory performance on List 4 was used to assess the effects of different learning strategies and delays on new learning. In Experiment 2, the retention interval for the interim test was extended to 48 hours. The results showed that introducing a 6-minute gap between the study of each list significantly improved memory performance compared to a 1-minute gap, with this effect persisting even after a 48-hour retention interval. These findings suggest that combining interim testing with delay enhances both the acquisition of new knowledge and its long-term retention. The underlying mechanism for this effect appears to be attentional recovery induced by the delay.