High grades may appear to reflect understanding, but are often just surface-level results. When students achieve high scores, it seems like they understand the material well. However, performance can be misleading — especially if it’s based on memorization or test-taking strategies rather than deep understanding. This is known as the “Performance Illusion.” Example: Students memorize answers to exam questions and score well, but are unable to apply the same material in real-world or unfamiliar situations.
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Kornell, N., & Bjork, R. A. (2009). A stability bias in human memory: Overestimating the permanence of newly learned information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(5), 989–1002.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.