>These findings are not particularly surprising given the circumstances.
>Remember there are huge differences in retrieval accuracy as measured by
>recall, recognition and relearning. When an exam is given several months
>after a course is over, recall and recognition memory will have declined
>precipitously but there will still be a considerable savings. I have been
>in a number of theatrical performances and have a difficult time learning
>my lines. I was the lead in one play and received a frantic call from the
>director a year and a half later. The lead has become ill and the "play
>must go on" I had three days to relearn my lines which had taken me weeks.
Furthermore, the material on a comprehensive exam is usually detailed and
difficult to retrieve. I am not concerned that my students can't recall six
months later whether GABA or glutamate is the excitatory amino acid
neurotransmitter, but I certainly hope they have learned the concept of
neurotransmitter and an appreciation of the complexity of the issue. And I
expect that if they need to know the difference, they will know where to
find the information and be able to relearn it quickly The same applies to
any area.
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