SANCHEZ, KYLE D.

Cogpsych
PSY2A

Declarative vs Procedural Knowledge

Declarative knowledge refers to knowledge that can be clearly expressed or

announced as facts, ideas, or principles. It means having "that" knowledge that something
is real or existent. It is typically obtained through reading, studying, or through heard
information. It can be easily expressed to others because it is either verbal or symbolic.

On the other hand, procedural knowledge describes knowledge that is displayed

by actions, abilities, or procedures. It needs knowledge of "how" to carry out a task and
can frequently be learned through practice, repetition, and feedback. Expressing
procedural knowledge in words or communicating it verbally can be tricky because it
tends to be internalized or not explicit.

Declarative knowledge examples include the following:

• Knowing your birth date

• Knowing that a car has four tires
• Knowing that Manila is the capital of the Philippines
• Memorizing your partner’s phone number
• Knowing that Monday comes after Sunday

Procedural knowledge examples include the following:

• Tying shoelaces
• Riding a bicycle
• Performing surgery
• Swimming
• Writing cursive
 The dual processing theory put forth by Shiffrin & Schneider (1997) hypothesizes
that declarative knowledge came before procedural knowledge. This means that in able
for a person to know “HOW,” they must first know “THAT.”

This can be explained, for example, by doing surgery. In order to execute a surgery, a
surgeon must first be aware of the types of surgical instruments to use and the area of
the patient's body where an incision should be made, depending on the type of surgery
that needs to be done. Declarative knowledge is the understanding of the ideal depth of
a cut to allow access to an organ, and procedural knowledge is the understanding of the
entire surgical procedure from beginning to end.

Though declarative and procedural knowledge seem to be two separate concepts,

they are also closely related to one another as they frequently work in tandem to support
efficient learning, problem-solving, and performance of daily tasks. Declarative
knowledge and procedural knowledge are separate but linked concepts because they
demand various cognitive processes and serve various purposes in problem-solving and
learning.
Reference:
Declarative vs Procedural Knowledge. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2023, from
https://unt.univ-cotedazur.fr/uoh/learn_teach_FL/affiche_theorie.php?id_concept=90

Batlag, & Badonio. (2022, September 9). Declarative, procedural, and funtional
knowledge (Batlag & Badonio).pptx. Declarative, Procedural, and Funtional
Knowledge (BATLAG & BADONIO).pptx. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from
https://www.slideshare.net/AngelGriffinBatlagOm/declarative-procedural-and-
funtional-knowledge-batlag-badoniopptx