Running head: MEMORY RETENTION AND DIVIDED ATTENTION 1 Divided Attention: An Undesirable Difficulty in Memory Retention

How can we improve memory retention? A large body of research suggests that difficulty encountered during learning, such as when practice sessions are distributed rather than massed, can enhance later memory performance (see Bjork & Bjork, 1992). Here, we investigated whether divided attention during retrieval practice can also constitute a desirable difficulty. Following two initial study phases and one test phase with Swahili-English word pairs (e.g., "vuvi-snake"), we manipulated whether items were tested again under full attention or divided attention. Two days later, participants were brought back for a final cued recall test (e.g., "vuvi ?"). Across three experiments (combined n = 122), we found no evidence that dividing attention while practicing retrieval enhances memory retention. This finding raises the question of why many types of difficulty during practice do improve long-term retention, but dividing attention does not.