Accretion, Tuning and Restructuring: Three Modes of Learning
Abstract
It is somehow strange that throughout the recent work on semantic memory, the study of learning has been slighted. The term learning has fallen into disuse, replaced by vague references to “acquisition of information in memory. ” It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that the learning of some topic is no more than the acquisition of the appropriate set of statements about the topic by the memory system. According to this simple view of things, to have learned something well is to be able to retrieve it from memory at an appropriate time. We believe this view is much too simple. Learning can be more than the simple acquisition of statements. We believe it is time to examine learning again, to evaluate just what does happen when people acquire information about a topic and use it appropriately. The study of learning differs from the study of memory in its emphasis, not necessarily in content. Learning and memory are intimately intertwined, and it is not possible to understand one without understanding the other. But the difference in emphasis is critical. There are many different kinds of learning, and
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Based on schema theory, human memory actively transforms information during storage through assimilation and accommodation processes, enabling efficient retrieval and coherent understanding across temporal contexts.
“Based on schema theory (Rumelhart et al., 1976; Bartlett, 1995), human memory actively transforms information during storage through assimilation and accommodation processes, enabling efficient retrieval and coherent understanding across temporal contexts.”
From Pre-Storage Reasoning for Episodic Memory: Shifting Inference Burden to Memory for Personalized Dialogue (2025) · cites this paper as Rumelhart et al., 1976
Schema theory views memory as a structured interpretive system.
“This theory views memory as a structured interpretive system (Piaget et al., 1952; Rumelhart et al., 1976; Bartlett, 1995; Rumelhart, 2017).”
From Pre-Storage Reasoning for Episodic Memory: Shifting Inference Burden to Memory for Personalized Dialogue (2025) · cites this paper as Rumelhart et al., 1976
A seminal work in schema theory introduced three modes of learning: accretion, tuning, and restructuring.
“A seminal work in schema theory (Rumelhart et al., 1976) introduced three modes of learning: accretion, tuning, and restructuring.”
From Pre-Storage Reasoning for Episodic Memory: Shifting Inference Burden to Memory for Personalized Dialogue (2025) · cites this paper as Rumelhart et al., 1976
Schema is reconstructed when new information does not fit the existing knowledge significantly.
“According to (Chi, 2009; Rumelhart et al., 1976), schema is reconstructed when the new information does not fit to the existing knowledge significantly.”
From Pre-Storage Reasoning for Episodic Memory: Shifting Inference Burden to Memory for Personalized Dialogue (2025) · cites this paper as Rumelhart et al., 1976
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- Authors
- Rumelhart, D. E., & Norman, D. A.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- ORCID
- Norman, Donald A.
- Publisher
- Defense Technical Information Center
- Published
- 1976-08-01
- OpenAlex
- W1495143491
- Cited by
- 609
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 25
- Type
- report
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Funders
- Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Office of Naval Research (N00014)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational methodologies and cognitive development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
- Keywords
- semantic memory, learning, memory acquisition, memory retrieval, learning modes, knowledge acquisition
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