FAA Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)The Learning ProcessHard
A flight instructor notices that a student pilot consistently forgets to perform the 'carb heat on' check during descent, despite being reminded multiple times. The instructor decides to introduce a vivid mental image for the student: imagining ice forming in the carburetor as a 'hungry monster' that needs 'hot air' to be 'slain'. This technique is an attempt to improve the student's:
- AShort-term memory encoding
- BSensory register capacity
- CPerceptual processing speed
- DLong-term memory retrieval
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Short-term memory encoding
The instructor is attempting to improve how the information ('carb heat on') is initially processed and stored in short-term memory by making it more meaningful and memorable through a vivid image. This is a strategy for more effective encoding, which helps transfer information from short-term to long-term memory.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Sensory register capacity is about initial sensory input, not making information more memorable.
- C. Perceptual processing speed relates to how quickly one processes sensory input, not the memorability of a concept.
- D. Retrieval is recalling information already stored in long-term memory, not improving the initial storage.
Short-Term Memory Encoding
The process by which information is transformed into a usable form for storage in short-term memory, often involving strategies like imagery, chunking, or rehearsal to make it more meaningful and memorable.
- Crucial for transferring information from sensory to long-term memory.
- Affected by attention and effort.
- Strategies like mnemonics and vivid imagery enhance encoding.
Memory trick: Encode, Store, Retrieve: The memory's three-step dance.