Anderson's theory of skill development distinguishes between declarative and procedural knowledge. Proc

Anderson's theory of skill development distinguishes between declarative and procedural knowledge.

• Declarative knowledge refers to factual knowledge about a task, such as rules, concepts, and facts. It's "knowing what."
• Procedural knowledge refers to how to perform a task, the skills and actions involved. It's "knowing how."

The question asks what Anderson's theory distinguishes between. The options provided relate to these two types of knowledge.

The correct option is the one that best describes factual knowledge, which is a core component of declarative knowledge.

• A) Associative knowledge of the task: This is part of the second stage of skill acquisition, where errors decrease and connections are strengthened.
• B) Muscle memory: This is a form of procedural memory, related to automatic task processing.
• C) Factual knowledge about a task: This directly corresponds to declarative knowledge.
• D) Automatic task processing: This is characteristic of the final, autonomous stage of skill acquisition, where procedural knowledge is highly developed.

Therefore, "Factual knowledge about a task" is the most direct distinction related to declarative knowledge in Anderson's theory.

The final answer is $\boxed{\text{C}}$.