Zachary Buchin

Research interests

Cognitive Psychology: Human Memory; Attention; Testing Effects; Metacognition.

Educational Psychology: Learning Strategies; Retrieval Practice; Prior Knowledge.

My research on human memory is broadly focused on applying cognitive principles to educational practice. I am particularly interested in retrieval-based learning and the testing effect, in which retrieval practice (e.g., recall, flashcards, practice questions, etc.) benefits later memory to a greater degree than more typical study-based strategies (e.g., restudying, rereading, copying, etc.). Specifically, my research examines: (1) how these memory modifying effects of retrieval are affected by divided attention/distraction; (2) the generalizability of retrieval-based learning across educationally-relevant factors (e.g., task complexity and prior knowledge); and (3) the indirect effects of testing on learning (e.g., taking a practice test on A will enhance the benefits from later restudy of A as well as later initial study of new material B).