Abstract The hypothesis of study-time regulation states that S s studying a material, spend on each item a time related to its objective difficulty. In this experiment, difficulty is defined according to interstimulus similarity (high, medium, or low) and the items are given a different incentive value (10 points, or 1 point). Thirty-six S s learned 8 paired-associates with self-paced presentation. The S s interrupted their study when they judged they had achieved a perfect mastery of the material; they were submitted to a double retention test (recall and recognition). The results showed that the higher the interstimulus similarity of the items, the longer their study-time and the lower the number of correct responses in the tests. Study-time generally decreased from cycle to cycle during the periods of study; but between these periods it rose after the test for the S s who resumed study. This evolution of study-time interacted with interstimulus similarity. No effect of incentive value was evidenced.
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