The prevailing assumption by some that deep processing promotes stronger learning outcomes while surface processing promotes weaker learning outcomes has been called into question by the inconsistency and ambiguity of results in investigations of the relation between levels of processing and performance. The purpose of this literature review is to…

Discusses the development of thinking from a sociocultural perspective, focusing on how Super and Harkness' (1986) concept of "developmental niche" may be used as a framework for organizing cognitive developmental research in relation to culture. Argues for the utility of this approach in furthering understanding of the precise linkages between…

Recent studies involving nonlinear discrimination problems suggest that stimuli in human associative learning are represented configurally with narrow generalization, such that presentation of stimuli that are even slightly dissimilar to stored configurations weakly activate these configurations. The authors note that another well-known set of…

Summarizes recent psychological research and theory on the topic of consciousness, and looks at three questions in second-language learning related to the role of consciousness in input processing. The discussion involves the requirement in learning a second language of subliminal learning, implicit learning, and incidental learning. (142…

Discussion of memory for text information focuses on an earlier study which appeared to show that it is better for students to study a summary of a textbook chapter than to study the chapter itself. Topics discussed include recognition memory, recall, how to test memory, and psychological research. (10 references) (LRW)

Discusses four schools of thought in cultural psychology: (1) the "mind and culture" school, which treated culture and cognition as separate; (2) the "mind in culture" school, which sees cognition and culture as interacting in practices; (3) the "culture in mind" school, which sees cultural categories as intrinsic to…

A review of the research on techniques for increasing the novice's understanding of computers and computer programming, this paper considers the potential usefulness of five tentative recommendations pertinent to the design of computer literacy curricula: (1) provide the learner with a concrete model of the computer; (2) encourage the learner to…

Describes recent currents in psychological literature pertaining to the learning process, specifically the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Demonstrates how these psychological advances can help with economic analysis. (Author/KC)

Reviews the literature on general learning strategies as they pertain to the UG (universal grammar)- or non-UG debate and the second-language acquisition process and discusses this literature in the context of the literature on learning strategies from psychological research. (Author/JL)

This paper is the introduction to an inquiry into the relationship of post-structural reader theories to cognitive theories in the study of educational media. Basic concepts in reader and cognitive theories are defined, including the notions of "meaning" and "learners." Similarities and differences in the theories are…

Past research (e.g., J. M. Loomis, Y. Lippa, R. L. Klatzky, & R. G. Golledge, 2002) has indicated that spatial representations derived from spatial language can function equivalently to those derived from perception. The authors tested functional equivalence for reporting spatial relations that were not explicitly stated during learning.…

Recent reforms in social education have emphasized the study of history and global education. Thus, educators expect students to develop historical empathy and the ability to take divergent cultural perspectives. In other words, students should be able to see the world as others see it. From a psychological perspective this capacity is known as…

From a review of empirical research, a new theoretical synthesis of anxiety's effect on learning and memory is proposed: anxiety always reduces processing effectiveness, by generating task-irrelevant processing activities, but this will not impair performance efficiency if sufficient compensatory effort is expended. (SJL)

This chapter describes current research in cognitive psychology and considers how this work may be applied to the design of instructional materials. The nature of knowing--and of meaningful knowing--are examined, and findings from psycholinguistics and pattern recognition are integrated to provide an understanding of concept and memorization…

This paper examines the gap between the learning potentials that computers provide and the actual impact of computer use on learning and development. It is argued that the computer's unique potential is derived in part from four basic attributes: information, symbol systems, user activities, and relations with the user. It is hypothesized that…