Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Retrieval practice—the process of actively calling information to mind rather than passively studying materials—has been proven to be a highly effective learning strategy. However, only recently, researchers have started to examine differences between learners in terms of the optimal conditions of retrieval practice in applied educational settings. In this study (N = 118), we focus on learners with dyslexia: a group that is usually not included in the retrieval practice literature. We compare their performance to the performance of typical learners in an adaptive, retrieval practice-based word learning task using both typing-based and speech-based response conditions. We find that typical learners outperform learners with dyslexia when they are asked to respond by typing, but that this difference is much smaller when learners can respond by speech. These results can contribute to the development of educational technology that allows for effective and inclusive learning in neurodivergent individuals.