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Procedural skill retention and decay: A meta-analytic review
Corey E Tatel1, Phillip L Ackerman1
1School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Psychological Bulletin
|June 2, 2025
Summary
Procedural skill decay increases with nonuse. Half of accuracy skills are lost in 6.5 months, speed skills in 13 months, and mixed skills in 11 months without practice.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Motor learning
- Human performance
Background:
- Procedural skill decay impacts skill theory, organizational effectiveness, and individual performance.
- Previous reviews on skill decay used limited studies with short retention intervals.
- Retention interval was not previously analyzed as a continuous variable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis of skill retention to address gaps in prior research.
- To investigate the relationship between retention interval and skill decay.
- To provide empirical estimates of skill decay rates.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of 1,344 effect sizes from 457 reports was performed.
- Random-effects metaregression models were used with retention interval as a predictor.
- Performance changes between skill acquisition and retention were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Skill decay intensified with longer retention intervals.
- Half of initial performance gains were lost after approximately 6.5 months (accuracy), 13 months (speed), and 11 months (mixed).
- Task type, complexity, intermittent practice, and instructions may moderate decay rates.
Conclusions:
- Findings offer quantitative estimates of skill decay for determining refresher training needs.
- Methodological considerations include isolating retention from relearning and accounting for speed-accuracy trade-offs.
- This research provides a robust understanding of procedural skill retention over time.
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