Elaboration

Elaboration is a cognitive process that involves adding details to a basic concept or idea. It is a key component in memory formation and learning, as it helps to strengthen connections between different pieces of information and make them more memorable. Elaboration can take many forms, including creating visual images, making associations, and generating examples.

Overview

Elaboration is a strategy used in cognitive psychology to help individuals remember information. It involves adding meaningful information to something that is less meaningful in order to increase understanding and recall. This can be done by creating associations between new information and existing knowledge, generating examples, or creating visual images.

Role in Learning and Memory

Elaboration plays a crucial role in learning and memory. By adding details and creating connections between different pieces of information, elaboration helps to strengthen memory traces and make information more memorable. This can be particularly useful in educational settings, where students often need to remember large amounts of information.

Techniques

There are several techniques that can be used to facilitate elaboration. These include:

• Association: This involves creating a link between new information and something that is already known. For example, if you are trying to remember a new word, you might associate it with a similar sounding word that you already know.

• Example Generation: This involves generating examples of a concept or idea. This can help to make the concept more concrete and easier to remember.

• Visual Imagery: This involves creating a mental image of the information. This can be particularly useful for remembering abstract concepts.

See Also

• Cognitive Psychology
• Memory
• Learning

Elaboration Resources
Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia