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The acquisition and retention of knowledge: Exploring mutual benefits to memory research and the educational setting
Author(s) -
NavehBenjamin Moshe
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.2350040406
Subject(s) - relevance (law) , educational research , psychology , empirical research , scope (computer science) , cognition , cognitive psychology , management science , engineering ethics , mathematics education , computer science , epistemology , philosophy , neuroscience , political science , law , economics , programming language , engineering
This article examines the relationship between laboratory‐based memory research and educational research and practice. The first section addresses possible contributions of laboratory research to education. It shows that such research provides meta‐theoretical, theoretical, and conceptual frameworks to explain educationally relevant phenomena, as well as solid empirical contributions that can be applied in relevant educational settings. The second section presents several examples of empirical, educationally relevant memory research. Analysis of these studies shows the potential mutual benefits to both educatioal practice and memory research. In addition to demonstrating the relevance of memory research to education and educational practice, such research can also increase the external validity of memory research, put constraints on the scope of laboratory findings, and help refine theoretical positions. The third section of the article discusses principles to be used in evaluating the applicability and relevance of laboratory research and memory phenomena to education, and looks at ways to increase the applicability of research to educational practice. Among the outlined suggestions are choosing parameters in laboratoy‐based memory research similar to those existing in educational settings, and considering relevant interactions, laboratory effects size, and variation of relevant variables. Using broad categories of variables, including those of individual differences and non‐cognitive ones, will benefit ecologically oriented memory research.