Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026
09:58
C. elegans Positive Butanone Learning, Short-term, and Long-term Associative Memory Assays
Published on: March 11, 2011
Does easily learned mean easily remembered?: it depends on your beliefs about intelligence
David B Miele1, Bridgid Finn, Daniel C Molden
1Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027, USA. dmiele@columbia.edu
Psychological Science
|February 4, 2011
Summary
People’s beliefs about intelligence influence how they judge their memory. Those viewing intelligence as fixed use the easily learned = easily remembered heuristic, while those viewing it as malleable do not.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Metacognition
- Beliefs about Intelligence
Background:
- Feelings of encoding fluency positively correlate with judgments of learning.
- The easily learned = easily remembered (ELER) heuristic explains how people interpret encoding fluency.
- Inferences from encoding fluency may depend on beliefs about the causes of encoding difficulty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how beliefs about intelligence affect the use of the ELER heuristic.
- To examine whether interpretations of encoding effort influence judgments of learning.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with participants studying word lists.
- Participants predicted their future recall of studied items.
- Individual differences in beliefs about intelligence were assessed.
Main Results:
- Participants viewing intelligence as fixed used the ELER heuristic.
- These participants interpreted effortful encoding as a limit to their ability.
- Participants viewing intelligence as malleable did not use the ELER heuristic and sometimes predicted better memory for effortful items.
Conclusions:
- Beliefs about the malleability of intelligence moderate the use of the ELER heuristic.
- Interpretations of encoding effort are influenced by implicit theories of intelligence.
- Metacognitive judgments of learning are sensitive to underlying beliefs about cognitive abilities.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
01:27Intelligence
The term "intelligence" is complex because it refers to both behavior and individuals, and its interpretation varies across cultures. European Americans tend to link intelligence with reasoning and cognitive skills, while in Kenya, it is tied to responsible participation in family and social life. In Uganda, intelligence is seen as the ability to know the right actions and carry them out effectively, while the Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea associate it with the capacity to remember detailed...
01:25Cattell's Theory of Intelligence
Raymond Cattell, along with John Horn, made significant contributions to our understanding of intelligence by distinguishing between two types: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence.
Fluid intelligence involves the capacity to solve new problems and adapt to unfamiliar situations. It's the type of intelligence individuals use when they encounter a novel problem or puzzle that requires innovative thinking. For instance, figuring out how to operate a new gadget relies heavily on fluid...
Fluid intelligence involves the capacity to solve new problems and adapt to unfamiliar situations. It's the type of intelligence individuals use when they encounter a novel problem or puzzle that requires innovative thinking. For instance, figuring out how to operate a new gadget relies heavily on fluid...
01:18Introduction to Learning
Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge or skills through practice or experience, leading to long-lasting behavioral changes. This acquisition occurs through interaction with the environment and requires practice or experience. For instance, mastering a skill such as surfing requires considerable practice and experience, highlighting the essential role of repeated interactions with the environment in learning.
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...
01:30Biological Influences on Intelligence
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter more...
01:29Measures of Intelligence
Psychologists measure intelligence by using standardized tests that produce a score known as the intelligence quotient or IQ. To understand IQ tests, it's important to recognize the key principles behind their construction: validity, reliability, and standardization.
Validity refers to how well a test measures what it claims to measure. An intelligence test should accurately assess intelligence rather than another characteristic, like anxiety. Criterion validity is one way to evaluate this; it...
Validity refers to how well a test measures what it claims to measure. An intelligence test should accurately assess intelligence rather than another characteristic, like anxiety. Criterion validity is one way to evaluate this; it...