Method of Vanishing Cues

Definition

The method of vanishing cues refers to a learning technique in which initial letters of words are provided as cues for the retrieval of to-be-learned information. Across successive learning trials, cues are gradually withdrawn or “vanished” until information can be retrieved in the absence of cues.

Historical Background

The method of vanishing cues, as a rehabilitation technique for people with memory disorders, was first reported in 1986 in two papers by Glisky et al. (1986a, b), which demonstrated that people with severe memory impairments were able to learn new computer vocabulary and write simple computer programs. Prior to that time, people with organic amnesia were known to be capable of learning a few discrete pieces of information but were thought to be incapable of acquiring new, complex knowledge of the sort that would be required to operate a computer. The method of vanishing cues was based on new findings at that time showing that amnesic patients were able to...