repetition

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repetition

human psychology

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July 13, 2026

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In human psychology, repetition is a fundamental concept linked to learning and behavior. It refers to the act of saying or doing something again. This regular repetition, often without conscious thought, is how habits are formed and reinforced.123

Repetition helps in acquiring information and skills. While simple repetition, known as rote rehearsal, can keep information in short-term memory, more complex forms of rehearsal, involving motor coordination, can lead to long-term memory encoding and improved performance over time. This process is a key element in learning theories, where associations between stimuli and responses are strengthened through repeated exposure. However, habits formed through repetition can also lead to behavioral inflexibility.453

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learning theory
Repetition
A major theoretical issue concerns whether associations grow in strength with exercise or whether they are fully established all at once. Evidence is that learning usually proceeds gradually; even when a problem is solved insightfully, practice with similar tasks tends to improve performance. Some…
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A major theoretical issue concerns whether associations grow in strength with exercise or whether they are fully established all at once. Evidence is that learning usually proceeds gradually; even when a problem is solved insightfully, practice with similar tasks tends to improve performance. Some…
Read More

folk literature
Techniques of folk literature
…common of all is mere repetition. Especially in folktales and epics it is common to hear the same episode repeated with little or no verbal change. As the hero encounters his successive adversaries the description changes only enough to indicate the increasing terror of the enemy, always leading to a…
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…common of all is mere repetition. Especially in folktales and epics it is common to hear the same episode repeated with little or no verbal change. As the hero encounters his successive adversaries the description changes only enough to indicate the increasing terror of the enemy, always leading to a…
Read More

habit
…reacting—is developed through reinforcement and repetition. Reinforcement encourages the repetition of a behaviour, or response, each time the stimulus that provoked the behaviour recurs. The behaviour becomes more automatic with each repetition. Some habits, however, may form on the basis of a single experience, particularly when emotions are involved. Habits,…
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…reacting—is developed through reinforcement and repetition. Reinforcement encourages the repetition of a behaviour, or response, each time the stimulus that provoked the behaviour recurs. The behaviour becomes more automatic with each repetition. Some habits, however, may form on the basis of a single experience, particularly when emotions are involved. Habits,…
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mass production
Mass production and society
The psychological effects of the repetitive aspects of some mass production tasks have been examined in great detail. Tasks that are precisely paced by the rhythm of machine operation or conveyor-belt movement appear to be particularly fatiguing. For this reason, efforts are made to structure each job so that the…
Read More
The psychological effects of the repetitive aspects of some mass production tasks have been examined in great detail. Tasks that are precisely paced by the rhythm of machine operation or conveyor-belt movement appear to be particularly fatiguing. For this reason, efforts are made to structure each job so that the…
Read More