The influence of training and experience on memory strategy

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Decision Science

Background:

• The theory of soft constraints posits that task environment constraints shape strategy deployment.
• Increased information access costs are theorized to promote memory-based strategies involving enhanced encoding and planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if and how prior training and experience override task environment constraints on strategy deployment.
• To provide evidence relevant to the theory of soft constraints.

Main Methods:

• Experiments 1 and 3 used a Blocks World Task with a training-transfer design, manipulating information access delays.
• Experiment 2 examined scenarios where training access cost differed from transfer trials.
• Experiment 4 employed an intra-trial design to assess the impact of repeated experience with access costs.

Main Results:

• Training with an information access delay demonstrated a substantial carry-over effect, increasing memory-based strategy use in transfer trials.
• The carry-over effect was not observed when training access cost was less than in transfer trials.
• Experiencing access cost on two consecutive occasions within a trial was sufficient to induce a more memory-based strategy.

Conclusions:

• Prior training and experience significantly influence strategy deployment, supporting the theory of soft constraints.
• The findings highlight the adaptive nature of strategy selection in response to experienced costs.
• Practical implications for designing training protocols and understanding human-AI interaction are discussed.