title: Errorless learning and working memory: the impact of errors, distractors, and memory span load on immediate recall in healthy adults.
abstract: Errorless learning represents an important contribution to current neuropsychological rehabilitation. Previous research has mainly explained the benefits of errorless learning through properties of long-term memory. This study aims to explore how errors affect immediate recall performance. A new, supplementary perspective focusing on the role of working memory in errorless learning is introduced. Sixty university students participated in a within-subject design experiment measuring the effect of errors, memory span load, and attentional distractors on a digit recall task. Errors were found to have significant negative impact on immediate recall, while distractors had an effect only in interaction with errors.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. j.e.nordvik@psykologi.uio.no
authors.forename: Jan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nordvik
authors.forename: Anne-Kristine
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Schanke
authors.forename: Nils I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Landro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014706:Verbal Learning; D055815:Young Adult