WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) _ A Purdue University cognitive scientist has been awarded a $1.5 million grant to develop a new computer tool to help fourth- and fifth-graders improve study habits.

The three-year grant from the National Center for Educational Research to Jeffrey Karpicke will fund the development of a computer-based retrieval program, which will be evaluated in Indiana schools. The grant was effective July 1.

Karpicke's research shows that college students who use retrieval practice, which is a form of self-testing, retain the information longer and learn better compared to students who reread their notes. Karpicke is collaborating with Indiana University psychological sciences professor Michael Jones.