Chunking Mechanisms and Learning

Definition A chunk is meaningful unit of information built from smaller pieces of information, and chunking is the process of creating a new chunk. Thus, a chunk can be seen as a collection of elements that have strong associations with one another, but weak associations with elements belonging to other chunks. Chunks, which can be of different sizes, are used by memory systems and more generally by the cognitive system. Within this broad definition, two further meanings can be differentiated. First, chunking can be seen as a deliberate, conscious process. Here, we talk about goal-oriented chunking. Second, chunking can be seen as a more automatic and continuous process that occurs during perception. Here, we talk about perceptual chunking.