Final answer:
Distributed study leads to better long-term retention compared to massed study, which tends to offer better short-term retention but is less effective in the long run due to less opportunity for memory consolidation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tendency for distributed study or practice, as compared to massed study or practice, is that it leads to better long-term retention. This concept reflects the idea that studying material over time in shorter sessions, rather than cramming all at once, allows for better consolidation of memories. The self-reference effect and elaborative rehearsal are strategies that encourage this kind of distributed practice by making the material personally meaningful and linking new information to what we already know. In contrast, massed study, or cramming, might offer better short-term retention but is less effective for long-term memory because it doesn't provide the same opportunity for consolidation and may lead to interference where newly learned information is confused with what was studied before.