Understanding implicit learning in museums and galleries

Abstract

Implicit learning, learning we are not aware of, or learning which results inknowledge we do not know we possess or cannot articulate, is often consideredto be a ubiquitous part of life, and yet is rarely studied in real-world contexts. Thispaper presents an attempt to research implicit learning amongst museum andgallery visitors, with the ultimate aim being to understand whether implicit learningtakes place in the museum and how we might begin to unearth such tacit (silent)knowledge. Examples drawn from interviewees with members of gallery ‘friends’associations provide evidence that people often possess knowledge they areseemingly unaware of, directly derived from their museum/gallery experiences. Themethodology explored here acts as a formative means to study implicit learningand the paper suggests how this might be further developed.