Procedural learning and the development and stability of character.
This manuscript presents a neuropsychological model of the development and stability of human character. We define character as those things which people do routinely, automatically, and unconsciously--those which make people knowable and predictable. According to the model, the substrate of character is comprised of one's phenotypically based temperamental predispositions. This substrate is modified as a result of experience. Research has indicated the existence of multiple, relatively independent memory systems, and we are particularly interested in the distinction that has been made between declarative and procedural learning. Declarative memory involves recall of information and events, while procedural memory involves the learning of skills and other processes. In neurologically intact persons, these systems work in concert, yet they are relatively independent of one another. This model constrains the concept of character in a manner that allows researchers to address several issues, including (1) the manner in which character develops over time, (2) the mechanisms involved in the stability of character, and (3) the processes likely to be associated with character change.