Spacing Effects in Task Repetition Research

Abstract

This article provides a conceptual review of the principles of input spacing as they might relate specifically to oral task repetition research and presents some of the common methodological considerations from the broader input spacing literature. The specific considerations discussed include the interaction between intersession intervals and retention intervals, the manipulation of posttests as a between-participants variable, the number of task repetitions, absolute versus relative spacing, the criterion of learning, task type versus exact task repetition, and blocked versus interleaved practice. Each of these considerations is discussed with links, as appropriate, to the relevant empirical input spacing and task repetition literature. The purpose of this review is to highlight how, in many cases, these methodological considerations have been overlooked by task repetition researchers, including in studies where input spacing has and has not been a direct focus, and to suggest ways of addressing these methodological shortcomings in future research.

The effects of distributed practice on second language fluency development

“…Although previous research has demonstrated the benefits of task repetition, little attention has been given to the issue of when to repeat the task (Rogers, 2023), especially within the domain of L2 fluency research. Bui et al (2019) were the first to conduct a study specifically examining the effects of task repetition schedule on L2 oral performance.…”

Practice Makes Perfect, but How Much Is Necessary? The Role of Relearning in Second Language Grammar Acquisition

“…This could affect the number of sessions required to reach Stage 3. In contrast, longer intersession intervals may promote better retention of the declarative knowledge of rules (Bird, 2010; Nakata et al., 2023; for review, see Rogers, 2023). If so, learners might still have full access to their declarative knowledge at the posttest and thus would not need to reach Stage 3 in order to score highly.…”

Preliminary thoughts on the role of disfluencies in psychotherapy skill acquisition

“…In this methodological design, standard tasks measuring skill performance using standardized video stimuli depicting difficult video moments can be utilized [56]. Participants respond to a number of similar stimuli allowing for task repetition much like that seen in task repetition studies in second language learning [57]. Within subject task repetition designs can also minimize the risk of interpreting communicatively meaningful disfluencies as failures of speech thanks to the comparison with personal baselines.…”