ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of research on the roles of non-declarative (implicit) learning linked to the striatum and declarative (explicit) learning associated with the medial temporal lobes as predictors of academic attainment. METHODS: Participants were 120 undergraduate students, studying Psychology or Engineering, who completed several long-term memory tests. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between the groups (Psychology or Engineering) and task type (declarative or non-declarative): Engineers performed better at declarative and psychologists at non-declarative learning. Furthermore, non-declarative but not declarative learning scores were significant correlates of academic achievement (râ¯=â¯0.326, pâ¯<â¯.05). Moreover, competitive modulation (activation of non-declarative learning in conjunction with deactivation of declarative learning) was a significant predictor of future academic achievement in both psychology (râ¯=â¯0.264, pâ¯<â¯.05) and Engineering (râ¯=â¯0.300, pâ¯<â¯.05) groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that these declarative and non-declarative systems interact competitively and that the extent of this competition may have implications for understanding educational attainment.