...or what they can apply is a useful way to everyday life.
“or what they can apply is a useful way to everyday life.”
I haven’t heard it defined this way. The act of retention is nothing more than the storage of the information. Being able to apply it correctly and in part or full is an application of reasoning. Reasoning is a physical application of the info which is stored.
Using it in a useful way is a matter of individual choice based upon prior education everywhere from formal schooling to basic life skills starting at birth. And that can create an opinion both by the applicator or the bystander. (Sidewalk supervisor)
I just understood it as retention only. And this is why IQ doesn’t make you smarter. Just keeps you occupied with worthless information you can’t apply.
rwood