Mistakes in learning: Effects on the older trainee

Learning rarely happens without mistakes being made. In some trial and error situations, the mistakes form an integral part of the learning process. A simple example is making an unfamiliar journey without a map. Some guesses have to be made; inevitably, some wrong turnings are taken with consequent retracing of steps once the error is discovered. If the journey has to be repeated some time later, fewer wrong turnings will be taken as the corrections originally made are remembered. The older the traveller, however, the less likely is he to adopt the proven correct route. He is more likely to repeat his original mistakes.