Impact Your Workspeed
February 2, 2010
Literal, Implied and Inferential Learning
Knowing the difference between learning types and how to properly use them will definitely improve the way you process your day to day information load. Many people measure their learning in terms of how much they can memorize, number of hours they study, or how much material they read. This is a waste of their time.
You don’t study the 9,000,000 word U.S. Tax Code before filing your taxes every year do you? Of course not. The tax preparers themselves don’t read the entire code. Even those who’ve taken my speed reading course! They only use the portions of the code that apply to their clients.
To make your life easier, it is vital to learn how to step back and see the big picture. Disseminate what you need to know in the area, how much you need to know and where to find that information quickly.
In this article I will teach you about the three types of learning. This is your first step in learning how to process information quicker and easier.
Literal Learning
Literal Learning is used to gain factual, often physical information. This is information that usually requires memorization. The alphabet, the home row of the keyboard, how to drive a car, etc. It can also include people, places, things, and their actions.
While memorizing vocabulary, names, numbers, and facts are all useful segments of learning, it does not always lead you to understanding how to apply the information. What truly matters for learning to take place, is having the understanding of the information so that you can apply it appropriately. Exposure to information and selective memorization is only the first step in applicable understanding.
Implied Learning
Implied learning is information that is not provided, but is presumed to already be known by your audience. If a passage says eat the orange. The presumption is being made that you know what is meant by the words, “eat”, and “orange”. While applying this information is simple with these two words, some words can be viewed differently by various individuals based on their prior experience.
For example, the word “marriage” can be viewed as horrific or blissful depending on your past experience. Phrases like, “Increase productivity” can cause workers to freeze as their thoughts jump to “Even more work”, while others get excited thinking, “I will save time”.
When corresponding or presenting information keep in mind that using Implied Information can cause a disruption in real understanding based on an individual’s point of view. This slows learning and can add costly delays to projects.
Inferential Learning
Inferential learning is understanding the meaning and significance of what is being taught. This occurs on several levels, and requires some prior experience or understanding of the content to be fully applied. Inferential learning is what you use to build upon current knowledge.
Let’s take a lawyer for instance. A new statute goes into effect in the state law. A lawyer will only note the new statute if it pertains to their specific area of law or effects their practice. If it does, then he or she applies the new statute to what they already know and move forward.
Here’s another example: You just read Donald’s Trump’s book, “Art of the Deal”, Trump’s negotiating strategies really appeal to you. Making a connection between Trump’s methods and your current practice you apply his strategies to your negotiations and move forward. Again, you’ve just used Inferential Learning.
Knowing how much to learn at each level can greatly improve your information gathering efficiency. Just as a highly successful lawyer won’t memorize the tens of thousands state and federal statutes. He or she can still be highly effective by only memorizing the core rules of law and looking up the specific statute when there’s a need.
Increasing the speed in which you learn or gather new information requires learning the difference between what you need to know for optimum results in your present work, versus resources for future use. Don’t waste time trying to memorize fine details you may never use. It’s best to copy and paste or scan and save what you think may be useful to you in the future. That way when you need certain data or resources, a quick search on your computer will provide what you need for further examination. When storing web content, your best bet is to copy and paste the content in to your hard drive. This way you won’t be disappointed if the website disappears and you can search terms easier on your computer. BE SURE TO BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER TOO.
One of the most important issues of today is the phenomenon of information overload. Since the dawn of the television era, technology has opened the flood gates for information. Studies have proven over the last forty years that information overload causes stress, anxiety, physical illness and even disrupts decision making abilities. I hope this article has given you something to build upon and look forward to having you on one of my upcoming webinars or as a student of one of our learning programs.
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