Fact · Typing and writing speed
0.46mean weighted effect size
A meta-analysis of practice studies found that spaced practice beat massed practice, with a mean weighted effect size of 0.46 in favor of spaced practice.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“0.46, indicating that individuals in spaced practice conditions performed significantly higher than those in massed practice conditions.”
A meta-analytic review of the distribution of practice effect: Now you see it, now you don't, John J. Donovan and David J. Radosevich, Journal of Applied Psychology, 1999, Results.
Open the original- What it measures
- The meta-analysis pooled 63 studies with 112 effect sizes, across many kinds of practice task rather than typing alone.
- What it does not show
- The effect size pools many task types, and the review notes that the effect does not appear in every study. It is not a typing-specific figure.