Definition
A principle of learning stating that the first way a skill or concept is taught tends to be remembered most strongly, and is difficult to change later. What a student learns first leaves a lasting impression that shapes all later understanding of that subject, so the initial instruction must be correct, complete, and clearly presented.
Plain English
What you learn first sticks the hardest. If a student is taught something the wrong way the first time, it takes a lot of work to undo it later, so instructors aim to get it right from the start.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor training and lesson planning when introducing a new flight task, cockpit habit, or procedure.
Derivation
From the Latin primus, meaning 'first.' The same root gives us 'primary' and 'prime.' The law is about the power of the first exposure — what comes first takes priority in memory.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors must deliver accurate procedures from the first exposure, since early mistakes become deeply rooted and require extra effort to overwrite.
Intuition Check
Do not read law here as a government rule. In this context, a law is a learning principle: the first thing learned usually has the strongest hold.
Example Sentence 1
Knowing the law of primacy, the instructor demonstrated the proper landing flare correctly on the very first attempt rather than letting the student try unguided.
Example Sentence 2
Because of the law of primacy, the student continued to default to the initial checklist order even after later training introduced a revised sequence.