Memory Systems and Skill Learning

The type of memory that allows you to consciously recall facts and events, like remembering your birthday or the name of your best friend.

A type of declarative memory that stores specific personal experiences, like remembering your first day of school.

A type of declarative memory that stores general knowledge and facts, like knowing that the Earth is round.

The type of memory that operates unconsciously, you may not be able to explain how you know it, but you can still demonstrate it.

A type of nondeclarative memory that stores how to perform skills, like riding a bicycle.

A famous case study in memory research, H.M. had severe amnesia after surgery, but retained the ability to learn new motor skills.

The process of acquiring and refining a skill, like learning to play an instrument or speak a new language.

An experiment that measures the time it takes to respond to a sequence of stimuli, which reveals that we can learn patterns unconsciously.

Skills that involve coordinating sensory input with movement execution, like writing or playing a sport.

Skills that involve mental problem-solving and strategic thinking, like solving a math problem or writing a poem.

Spacing out practice sessions over time leads to better long-term retention compared to cramming practice sessions together.

Practicing a skill repeatedly in a short period of time, leading to fast short-term improvement but poor long-term retention.

Receiving feedback on your performance only after some attempts, not every attempt, leading to better long-term retention compared to continuous feedback.

Receiving feedback on every single attempt of a skill, leading to quick progress but poor long-term retention.

Continuous feedback creates a dependency on external guidance, preventing learners from developing internal monitoring skills. This leads to poorer retention without continuous feedback.

A practice method where tasks are performed in a random order instead of in blocks. It leads to more frequent retrieval of information from memory.

The interference that occurs when learning multiple tasks in a mixed-up order. It can improve long-term retention and transfer of skills even though it might slow down initial learning.

The initial stage of skill learning where the learner focuses on understanding the steps and consciously rehearsing them. The learner may think through the sequence of movements.

Training methods that initially slow down learning but lead to better long-term retention and transfer of skills. They make learning more challenging and require more cognitive effort.

When learners become too dependent on feedback from external sources, like a coach or instructor, and neglect their own internal feedback and sense of performance.

The ability to pay attention to and assess your own performance during a skill execution, based on internal sensations and feelings.

Repeating the same skill or task under fixed conditions, without much variation.

Practicing a skill in a variety of contexts, conditions, or with different variations.

A mental blueprint for how to execute a skill, taking into account different context and conditions.

Alternating between related but different skills during practice leads to better long-term retention and transfer of learning than practicing the same skill repeatedly.

Practice where the same skill is practiced repeatedly before moving on to the next skill.

Practice where different skills are intermixed and practiced in a random order.

The principle stating that as practice continues, improvements in skill performance decrease with each additional practice session, resulting in a diminishing return on effort. Early practice leads to rapid progress, while later practice requires more effort for similar gains.

The initial phase of learning a new skill where the learner focuses on understanding the task and consciously memorizing steps and instructions. They rely heavily on verbal guidance and feedback, and performance is often slow and inconsistent.

The second stage of skill learning where the learner refines their technique, eliminates errors, and develops a more consistent and efficient performance. They begin to chunk actions together and rely less on conscious instructions.

The final stage of skill acquisition where the performance becomes automatic, effortless, and highly efficient. The learner relies on procedural memory and can perform the skill without conscious effort, freeing up cognitive resources for other tasks.

The phenomenon where skilled performers have difficulty recalling specific details about past performance, as their actions have become highly automatic. This is because their attention is not actively focused on the details during performance.

Directing attention to the specific movements and sensations involved in performing a skill. This can be beneficial for novices, who need to refine their technique, but can be detrimental for experts, who rely on automatic execution.

The degree to which learned skills can be applied to different situations. Skills learned in one context may not be easily transferable to other contexts, especially if the conditions are significantly different.

The first phase of skill learning, characterized by a heavy reliance on declarative memory, conscious effort, and significant cognitive load. Performance is often slow and inconsistent, as the learner is trying to understand and remember instructions.

The final phase of skill learning, characterized by a reliance on procedural memory, automatic execution, and minimal cognitive load. Performance becomes smooth, effortless, and highly efficient, as the skill becomes ingrained in memory.