Cognitive Neuroscience of Implicit Learning

Abstract Our research framework conceptualizes implicit learning as the result of neuroplasticity mechanisms that are intrinsic and universal to all cognitive processing. This approach derives from a rationality assumption that neural systems subtly reorganize during processing in anticipation of more effective and/or efficient activity during future cognitive demands. Research across a range of areas including perceptual, motor, sequence, and statistical learning are reviewed to illustrate the utility of this framework. In more cognitively complex learning domains, acquiring expertise depends on a combination of knowledge acquired across multiple types of memory. The multisystem PINNACLE model is presented that embeds a conjecture of how embedded neural changes interact with consciously represented information and highlights significant gaps in our understanding of memory system interactions. This model aims to push memory systems research beyond dissociations to build toward a broader understanding of how all types of memory together support the complexity of human cognition.