How Humans Learn

Published

23 Jun, 2025

This presentation reveals why offloading cognitive processing to AI can undermine the development of genuine expertise. Through ACT-R (Anderson 2013, 2007) theory, it explains how learning transforms declarative knowledge into procedural skills via productive struggle. The process involves grappling with confusion, making mistakes, and adjusting strategies—steps that are easily bypassed when using AI.

The key takeaway: Struggling, confusion and effort aren’t obstacles to learning—they’re the very mechanisms that build lasting expertise.

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References

Anderson, John R. 2007. How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195324259.001.0001.
———. 2013. The Adaptive Character of Thought. New York: Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771730.

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