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UNDERSTANDING LEARNING AND MEMORY 43- The growth of a glacier is like pancake batter being poured into
a frying pan. As more and more substance is added to the mid-
dle, the edges spread farther and farther out. (p. 298) - The human circulatory system is similar to a parcel delivery
system. “Red blood cells work like trucks, carrying needed
materials from a central distribution point for delivery
throughout the body. Arteries and veins are like roads, acting
as access routes through which the various points of delivery
are reached. The heart is like the warehouse or the central
point in which vehicles are loaded and dispatched, and to
which empty vehicles are returned to be reloaded” (Stepich &
Newby, 1988, p. 136). - A dual-store model of memory is like the information selection
and storage system you use at home. Some things (e.g., junk
mail) are discarded as soon as they arrive, others (e.g., bills) are
only briefly dealt with, and still others (e.g., driver’s license) are
used regularly and saved for a long period of time. (p. 298)
Have you ever used analogies in learning? If so, how did they help
you recall information?
An important advantage of elaboration strategies is that they
provide additional retrieval routes for remembering information.
When you elaborate, you create additional ways of recalling the
information. Therefore, if you cannot remember the original con-
nection, you may be able to use other connections to retrieve the
needed information.
Here is an example of elaboration in action (Gagné, Yekovich, &
Yekovich, 1993): A student reads in her political science textbook:
“Political action committees (PACs) influence Congress with money.”
She already read that a PAC is a group whose purpose is to influ-
ence policy. Another student who came to the same section of the
textbook about PACs goes one step further. She elaborates on the
new information by thinking that the National Rifle Association has
a PAC.
Suppose the following day the instructor asks the class what
political action committees do. Both students may recall that they
are groups whose goal is to influence policy. But suppose they can-
not recall the purpose of a PAC. The student who thinks of the
National Rifle Association may be able to infer what a PAC does
from her elaboration that the National Rifle Association has a PAC.
The organization tries to influence policy in Congress. This could
lead her to conclude that PACs try to influence votes, thus answer-
ing the instructor’s question correctly. This example illustrates the
importance of providing additional retrieval routes for remember-
ing information.