Will Baker
Period 2
Memory Essay Dimitri and Linda can be very successful in their dancing should they manage to take into account the various possible psychological effects throughout their training. There are many reasons why learning a full routine is a difficult task. One thing that may prolong the process of learning this routine is Proactive Interference. Proactive Interference refers to a possible difficulty remember/learning new things, due to the plethora of similar items already stored. In this case, the fact that so many dance moves, that can look or seem very similar, must be learned to perfection, thus making it hard to remember all of the new steps. This is worsened if they plan to learn their dance over a long period of time in small steps, also known as the “Spacing effect.” This is simply the process of learning a large item over long periods of time, breaking each part down individually to practice. This tactic would prove very useful when perfecting the parts of their routine, however will make it more difficult to learn all new parts. Another effect that may be slightly less likely to occur is the act of a “Context-Dependent” memory. This means that learning the dance so effectively in a studio may create an unwanted sense of comfort when performing their routine in the studio, making the routine harder to perform on a stage. For that reason, many dancers like to practice their dance on the stage itself with little to no audience, to simply get more comfortable performing in a different setting.
On a brighter side,
