The Effect of Study Techniques, Study Preferences, and Familiarity on Later Recall

College students were assigned to various study and review conditions in order to determine the effect of using a preferred or non-preferred study technique and of being familiar or unfamiliar with an assigned reading topic. When an individual preferred reading as a study technique and was familiar with the topic, reading produced the best performance on the posttest. The least effective performance was produced by reading when a person preferred to read but was unfamiliar with the topic. The findings are discussed in terms of their practical implications for students and their instructors.