Prática da Lembrança: Perspectivas Teóricas e a Hipótese do Aprendizado Baseado na Simulação Construtiva

Abstract

A large number of recent studies demonstrates that the act of remembering previously studied contents is an eff ective strategy to promote the long-term retention of these contents. This strategy, known as “retrieval practice”, has been viewed as an eff ective strategy to improve learning in diff erent educational settings. However, there is still no consensus about which cognitive mechanisms produce its benefi ts. The present work is a narrative review which covers the main theories about the cognitive mechanisms underlying the benefi ts of retrieval practice. After critically reviewing such theories, we propose a new theoretical account, which is based on cognitive neuroscience fi ndings and intends to resolve inconsistencies found in previous theories. This new hypothesis assumes that the benefi t of retrieval practice results from the engagement of constructive episodic simulations, which are sustained by neural structures of the default mode network. More importantly, while such episodic simulation processes can be engaged by memory tasks, such as retrieval practice, they can be also engaged by tasks involving semantic elaboration or imaginative processes. Consequently, the present hypothesis predicts that the benefi ts of retrieval practice can be reproduced by non-retrieval tasks, as long as they engage constructive episodic simulations. Keywords: Retrieval practice, constructive episodic simulation, memory, learning, cognition