The role of working memory in transfer of implicit learning

Abstract

Implicit learning, behavioral change accompanied by an inability to consciously describe the means by which it has occurred, has been demonstrated in a number of domains. One question concerns the role of working memory in the learning process – if participants do not have conscious access to the learned information, what is the role of conscious attention and working memory in their learning? This paper further explores the question by studying the role of working memory on transferability of implicitly learned knowledge in the Balls and Boxes problem. Participants were given a puzzle to solve and then either the same puzzle or a horizontally inverted isomorph under single-task or working-memory interference conditions. As hypothesized, participants have little difficulty transferring their learned knowledge to the new problem unless their working memory is loaded.</p