Dr. Mary Pyc (she/her) is a Research Scientist at Apple Inc., near San Jose, California. She specializes in research on the mediator effectiveness hypothesis, retrieval effort, spacing, and how students use flashcards. She earned her Ph.D. from Kent State University in 2010.

Dr. Pyc's research interests involve promoting student learning, including when retrieval practice is beneficial for memory, evaluating theoretical accounts for why retrieval practice is beneficial for memory, how students self-regulate learning, and how students' metacognition is related to their self-regulated learning.

In addition to her research on retrieval practice, Dr. Pyc conducts research with individuals with superior memory abilities. She has published in high-impact scientific journals, including Science, and she received widespread attention in media outlets such as The New York Times, ScienceDaily, and NBC News.

Recommended research publication: Pyc, M. A., & Rawson, K. A. (2010). Why testing improves memory: Mediator effectiveness hypothesis. Science, 330(6002), 335-335.