Mixing different topics or skills within a single study session promotes which learning benefit?

The correct answer is that mixing different topics or skills within a single study session promotes interleaving. Interleaving is a learning strategy where multiple subjects or types of problems are practiced together, as opposed to practicing them in blocks or isolation. This method has been shown to enhance learning by encouraging the brain to actively compare and differentiate between concepts, which can lead to more robust understanding and application of the material.

When students engage in interleaved practice, they encounter situations that require them to think critically and adaptively, drawing on various skills and knowledge simultaneously. This not only helps in strengthening connections between different concepts but also improves problem-solving skills and the ability to transfer knowledge to new contexts.

In contrast, other concepts like feedback, retention, and desirable difficulty focus on different aspects of the learning process. Feedback refers to information learners receive concerning their performance, retention pertains to the ability to remember information over time, and desirable difficulty introduces challenges in learning that can promote better mastery of material. While these are all important elements of effective learning, they do not specifically encapsulate the benefit derived from the practice of mixing different topics or skills, as interleaving does.