Does having wrong answers available while studying distract the mind from the correct answer? I am studying for a big exam which will include 100 out of the 300 questions I was given as material for the exam. They are the exact questions that will be used on the exam, including answer choices.  While I am reviewing, should I make the incorrect answers available to myself, so that when I am taking the test I see the questions and answers I have been reviewing, or should I make no answers available to myself except the correct answer on the other side of a flash card?

Which is the best way to learn the correct answer?
Which is the best way to learn the correct answer?


There is no correct or best way to learn if phrased that way, let me elaborate:

In the first case you are really learning 2 things:  


A series of statements : a),b),c), d).
4 relationships : a)= false, b) = false, c) = true , d) = false.


In the second case you are only learning a single relationship:


statement X ( c in the previous case) = true


This might sound counter intuitive, but the first case will prepare you better (even though it takes longer to practice), Why ? Because it simply matches better the recall task,which can be read as: out of this 4 cases which 3 are false and which one is true. ( a discriminating strategy can even be formulated by grouping the wrong ones via some similarity)

The opposite learning strategy is expected to fare poorly since instead of being helpful, the additional wrong choices work as recall distracters, they will each elicit the same response ( technically the correct one will also have an extra priming effect, but in order to outweigh the distracters, it would need to be consolidated over time), that is you would be expected to write it down word by word.

So your choice comes down to either learn to discriminate or learn to recall perfectly, in general we fare poorly on the second task for short to medium term memories and only after repeated (or emotional) and complementary exposure can we master perfect recall ( mnemonic devices can also be used).

Sources:


The Oxford Handbook of Memory(Tulving,Craik) (expertise, familiarity, distracters,etc,etc)
Cognitive Science (Gazzaniga) General discrimination in memory.