FAA Instrument Flight Instructor (FII)Instructional TechniquesEasy
During a debrief, a CFII notices that a student who made a serious altitude-deviation error early in the lesson continued to fixate on that mistake throughout the flight, even after correcting it. Which law of learning best explains why an instructor should immediately correct a student's first attempt at a new instrument procedure?
- ALaw of recency
- BLaw of readiness
- CLaw of intensity
- DLaw of primacy
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Law of primacy
The law of primacy states that what is learned first often creates a strong, lasting impression, so incorrect first impressions are hard to erase. This is why instructors must ensure a student's first exposure to a procedure is correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Recency means the most recently learned material is remembered best.
- B. Readiness relates to a student's eagerness to learn, not first impressions.
- C. Intensity relates to vivid or dramatic experiences, not the order learned.
Law of Primacy
States that the first experience of learning something creates a strong, almost unshakable impression, making correct initial instruction critical.
- First impressions are the most lasting
- Instructors must prevent students from practicing errors first
- Incorrect first learning is very hard to correct later
Memory trick: REEPIR: Readiness, Exercise, Effect, Primacy, Intensity, Recency