Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are secular trainings shown to enhance cognitive function, but their effectiveness among tertiary students has not been critically evaluated. This review synthesized evidence from randomized controlled trials on the impact of MBIs on cognitive improvement in tertiary students. Databases including Medline and…

Robust knowledge serves as a common instructional target in academic settings. Past research identifying characteristics of experts' knowledge across many domains can help clarify the features of robust knowledge as well as ways of assessing it. We review the expertise literature and identify three key features of robust knowledge (deep,…

This meta-analysis integrates 296 effect sizes reported in eye-tracking research on expertise differences in the comprehension of visualizations. Three theories were evaluated: Ericsson and Kintsch's ("Psychol Rev" 102:211-245, 1995) theory of long-term working memory, Haider and Frensch's ("J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cognit" 25:172-190, 1999)…

Reviews research on cognitive styles and offers a model for integrating them into an information processing model of cognition. Maintains that the model will promote further research and practice by offering an efficient way of conceptualizing relationships among cognitive styles and intellectual processes. (BSR)

Reflects on the importance of observation and documentation of detail in producing critical thinking and accurate writing. (AEA)

Provides an introduction to research on the basic components of cognitive skill. Perceptual processing and representation, the components of long- and short-term memory, and the nature of attention, mental performance, and consciousness are discussed. A 101-item reference list is provided. (JL)

A review of all available experimental data indicates that the task-evoked pupillary response, a physiological measure of processing "mental effort," accurately reflects within-task, between-task and between-individual variations in processing demands. (Author/RH)

Focusing on the psychological processing of audiovisual materials by learners, this chapter presents and analyzes recent research on human perception, its relation to memory, and how perception is best represented in an information processing model. Topics discussed include pictorial and verbal memory, information system capacity, filtering and…

Reviews research on sign language as an instrument of communication and on the psychological validity of sign language. Examines the production of sign language as compared to oral language, perception in sign language, and studies on the role of memory in sign language. (AM)

Describes a conceptual schema based on four basic requirements of the learner--stimulation, order, strategy, and meaning. These basic learner requirements are subdivided to describe the instructional environment necessary to provide an optimum fit between the learner and the environment. Fourteen references are cited. (Author/CHC)

The cascade model of information processing is compatible with the relation between time and accuracy in speed-accuracy trade-off experiments. Findings regarding the additive factors methods led to reexamination of conclusions drawn from several studies about the locus of perceptual and attentional effects on processing. (Author/RD)

Discusses cognitive style (the degree to which perception is influenced by environmental variables) and cognitive control (which focuses on the regulation of perception by the ego). Concepts addressed include field dependence-independence, field articulation, conceptual style, cognitive tempo, intrusive information, focal attention, and…

This article, written for psychologists, educators, and allied health professionals, is both a review of the "Handbook of Human Intelligence" Robert S. Sternberg, editor, and an essay in response to it. Following a note on the contributions made to the field of cognitive psychology by Sternberg and the Handbook, chapters of the book,…

Schema theory, an area of educational research within perceptual learning theory, is divided into five major subtopics: (1) explanation, development, and background; (2) theoretical approaches; (3) pattern classification; (4) pattern quantification; and (5) quantified pattern feature approach (which attempts to combine classification and…

Factor analytic studies suggest that there are six replicable second order cognitive factors. These six factors lend themselves to being interpreted as aspects of Royce's three ways of knowing: conceptual, perceptual, or symbolical. This view provides a unified explanation of the second and third order factors. (Author/CTM)