title: An ecological theory of expertise effects in memory recall.
abstract: Previous research has shown a significant correlation between domain expertise and memory recall performance after a very brief exposure time. Despite the large number of such studies, several findings in the literature have no satisfactory theoretical explanation. A novel theory based on an ecological approach is proposed to explain these results. This constraint attunement hypothesis provides a framework for identifying and representing the various levels of goal-relevant constraint in a domain. The theory predicts that there will be a memory expertise advantage in cases in which experts are attuned to the goal-relevant constraints in the material to be recalled and that the more constraint available, the greater the expertise advantage can be. The theory explains a number of diverse empirical findings in the literature in a coherent, unique, and parsimonious fashion and suggests a number of promising issues for future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. benfica@mie.utoronto.ca
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D004463:Ecology; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D011340:Problem Solving; D011582:Psychological Theory; D013850:Thinking