Practice testing enhances learning but not attitude change from persuasive texts

Abstract

Abstract We examined whether practice testing enhances learning from persuasive texts and influences attitude change. In two online experiments, participants read texts on biodiversity loss (Study 1, n = 454) or wolf recolonization (Study 2, n = 400) and were assigned to one of three conditions: pretesting (guessing before reading), posttesting (retrieving after reading), or no-testing. Both testing conditions improved knowledge retention compared to no-testing, with no consistent differences between pre- and posttesting. Across all conditions, attitudes shifted in the expected direction—biodiversity loss was perceived as more severe, and wolf recolonization more positively after reading. However, neither testing condition led to greater attitude change than no-testing. A systematic association between final knowledge and attitude emerged only in the pretesting group, suggesting that generating responses before learning may have promoted attitude change in some individuals. These findings demonstrate that practice testing enhances knowledge acquisition from persuasive texts but does not reliably amplify attitude change. This suggests that while retrieval-based learning strengthens memory for persuasive content, additional factors may be required to translate knowledge gains into belief revision. Our results highlight the complex relationship between knowledge and attitudes and contribute to understanding the role of test-enhanced learning in persuasion.