What technique does a student employ by associating key terms with meaningful moments to prepare for a quiz?

The technique being described is elaborative rehearsal. This method involves taking new information and connecting it to existing knowledge or personal experiences, which enhances understanding and retention. By associating key terms with meaningful moments or memories, the student creates richer and more complex mental representations of the material. This depth of processing helps to establish stronger retrieval cues, making it easier for the student to recall the information later on during the quiz.

In contrast, repetitive rehearsal focuses on rote memorization without adding deeper meaning, which is often less effective for long-term retention. Maintenance rehearsal also emphasizes repetition to keep information in short-term memory without integrating it meaningfully. Active recall, while a powerful study technique, involves retrieving information from memory without the specific focus on making personal or meaningful connections as described in the question. Thus, elaborative rehearsal is the most appropriate technique employed in this scenario.