FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)The Learning ProcessMedium
A CFI explains to a new instructor that emergency procedures learned years ago during initial private pilot training, and rarely reviewed since, are still retrievable during an actual in-flight emergency because they were deeply encoded and are relatively permanent. This describes which component of the memory system?
- AShort-term memory
- BSensory register
- CLong-term memory
- DImmediate memory
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Long-term memory
Long-term memory is the relatively permanent storage of information that has been adequately processed and encoded, allowing retrieval even after long periods without rehearsal, as with well-learned emergency procedures.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Short-term memory holds information briefly, typically less than a minute, not years.
- B. Sensory register only lasts seconds and would not retain years-old information.
- D. Immediate memory is not a standard term in the FAA memory model; it is a distractor.
Long-Term Memory
The stage of memory where well-encoded information is stored relatively permanently and can be retrieved even after long periods of disuse.
- Result of adequate rehearsal/encoding
- Capacity considered essentially unlimited
- Basis for retaining skills like emergency procedures over years
Memory trick: Long-term memory = a filing cabinet 🗄️ that never gets thrown out