Page 49 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 01 11/20/02 11:27 AM Page 38
38 The Creative Training Idea Book
In 1956, American psychologist George Miller reviewed many experiments on mem-
ory span and determined that the average person can recall up to seven bits or chunks
of information, plus or minus two, from short-term memory. The plus or minus came
from the fact that studies were inconsistent in their findings. Subsequent studies have
found that working memory capability increases as children grow older, and decreases
as people age. The latter is especially true in cases of brain disease, such as Alzheimer’s
disease. The fact that decreased memory occurs with age is also significant when you are
designing programs, as many people in the workforce today are baby boomers who
grow older each year. To address their needs, and that of others, build in a variety of
activities that provide time to process and repeat information.
Long-term memory refers to the storage of large amounts of information, proce-
dures, events, and other memories for indefinite periods of time. The result is that when
participants recall earlier material learned years before, childhood experiences, work-
place examples from throughout their career or any other similar details, they are pulling
from long-term memory.
Scientists differ in their perspectives on how memories arrive in long-term memory.
Many believe that information first goes to short-term memory where it is processed
and forwarded on to long-term memory based on the significance of the information or
event. Other researchers believe that functioning of short-term and long-term memory
is parallel rather than sequential. According to the latter theory, therefore, information
received can be simultaneously processed by both short-term and long-term memory.
From a classroom perspective, the value of long-term memory is that you can design
training information, activities, and environments that build on previous information
and experiences possessed by participants in order to strengthen current knowledge and
skills and add new ones to those already in existence.

Helping the Brain Remember

Many strategies, ranging from simple to complex, have been developed to assist people
remember names, information, and experiences. Although many of these techniques
must be self-learned, there are some that you and other facilitators can build into your
training delivery strategy to facilitate better retention. Some of the more common tech-
niques follow.

Chunking

To help retain information (e.g., list of items needed from the supermarket, phone num-
ber, facts, and figures) try chunking items into smaller groups of seven, plus or minus
two. This procedure is effectively used in many instances each day. Think about com-
monly encountered information and how you use it throughout your life:
Phone numbers with area code (_ _ _)_ _ _- _ _ _ _ (ten numbers chunked into three
groups)
Social security number _ _ _ - _ _ - _ _ _ _ (nine numbers chunked into three groups)