The Concept of Verbal Learning

People often admire the individual who can tell a good story. The ability to recant details correctly requires verbal learning, a vital brain activity that facilitates information retention. Every learning concept emphasizes specific aspects of learning. Behavioral learning highlights the association learning that occurs as the individual develops conditioned responses contingent on the association to a stimulus. Cognitive learning relates to the mental strategies that build a body of knowledge, manipulate that knowledge, and extrapolate to apply the knowledge to similar situations. Exploring concepts relating to verbal learning including comparing serial learning, paired associate learning, free recall and the concept of mnemonics in the recall of verbal stimuli identify verbal learning as a sophisticated learning method and a transition from behavioral to cognitive learning.

Concept of Verbal Learning.

Humans work at learning and this may be a unique quality (Terry, 2009). Other species learn through conditioning, but humans also use cognitive functioning. An important tool in knowledge acquisition is verbal learning or memorization. Early in an academic career individuals are required to learn information such as the alphabet or multiplication tables by rote learning. This method uses repeated rehearsals to memorize and recite the essential facts related to a subject. The information the individuals memorize is essential for critical thinking problems that the student will encounter later in his or her academic career. Rote memorization facilitates quick recall but does not facilitate the application of the facts to real problems (Terry, 2009). The student knows that two times two equals four, but must then learn that four divi...

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...d both unaided recall and concept application of common marketing strategies.

Works Cited

Keppel, G. (1964). Verbal learning in children. Psychological Bulletin, 61(1), 63-80. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0043153

Saber, J., & Johnson, R. (2008, December). Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater: verbal repetition, mnemonics and active learning. Journal of Marketing Education, 30(3), 207-216. doi:10.1177/0273475308324630

Terry, W. S. (2009). Learning and memory: Basic principles, processes, and procedures (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn Bacon.

Waugh, N. C. (1961). Free versus serial recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62(5), 496-502. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0043891

Young, R. K., & Casey, M. (1964). Transfer from serial to paired-associate learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology,67(6), 594-595. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0046914