Learning-curve plateaus were caused by learners' failure to overcome specific difficulties at critical stages, not by the order in which habits developed¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr1·q2
Currency · newest study 1908 · checked against its sources 2026-10-24 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Analysis of learning consciousness, objective writing records, and working-pulse records showed plateaus arose from failure to overcome specific difficulties where elemental habits were being finally perfected. → Book 1908
q2 i? One or more plateaus were eliminated from learning curves when learners successfully mastered the difficulties at the corresponding critical stages. → Book 1908
Evidence¶
Book 1908¶
Book, William Frederick. (1908). The Role of the Teacher in the Most Expeditious and Economic Learning. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=The+Role+of+the+Teacher+in+the+Most+Expeditious+and+Economic+Learning
q2 · i? · causal · r1
Careful analysis of the learning consciousness, verified by objective writing records and complete working-pulse records, showed plateaus were "caused, not by the order in which the typewriting habits developed" but by unovercome difficulties at critical stages. All plateaus came from the first or second failure alternative or both.
"showed that the plateaus in these curves were caused, not by the order in which the typewriting habits developed, but by the learners' failure to overcome certain specific difficulties encountered at those stages of advancement where certain elemental habits or groups of such habits were being finally perfected"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- In natural learning, elemental and higher-order habits develop together, so the most economic method is to practice with the highest-order habits possible — related
- Lower-order habits persist after being superseded and resist new ways of working, requiring constant effort to overcome — related
- New adaptations in skill learning were made unintentionally and required intense, carefully applied effort under favorable conditions — related
- The Orientation Statistic Read From Learner Records Is a Difficulty Sort — related
- Dynamic psychology research on habit formation is replacing vague verbal maxims of applied psychology with definite insights, including when practice makes perfect and when it does not. — a broader claim this one bears on
- Grace E. Bird advanced the thesis that emphasizing speed rather than accuracy from the start yields the most effective learning, with generalization flagged as risky — related
- Individual learning curves rise by irregular increments with occasional losses, with plateau-like periods attributed to changes in method and waning interest — related
- Practice curves in computation and reasoning would resemble the learning curves of Bryan and Harter and Book — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
plateaus-caused-by-unovercome-difficulties |
title |
Learning-curve plateaus were caused by learners' failure to overcome specific difficulties at critical stages, not by the order in which habits developed |
description |
Learning-curve plateaus were caused by learners' failure to overcome specific difficulties at critical stages, not by the order in which habits developed |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
1908 |
source_checked |
2026-10-24 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-24 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — book-1908 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.