An aptitude treatment interaction was predicted in which 30 retarded adolescents were expected to profit most from associative training and 30 intellectually average third graders most from conceptual training. Ss received either associative training designed to strengthen direct associations among pairs of conceptually related members of a free…

The role common region (CR) plays in acquiring scientific information from node-link displays was studied by testing 88 subjects under conditions of knowledge maps demonstrating or not demonstrating CR. Field-dependent subjects scored better than the field-independent subjects for maps demonstrating CR, whereas the opposite was true for maps not…

A category system for organizing six thinking skills and methods for teaching these skills, using the concept of time, are provided. Representing a proposed sequential order of development, the six thinking skills are: (1) imaging--the creating of an internal mental representation of an external thing and the labeling of that representation, (2)…

Approaches to elementary social studies education that focus on concept and inquiry learning are outlined. The basic goal of the teacher in concept teaching is to aid the student in developing relationships among factual learning, conceptualization, and personal behavior. Learning activities should focus on the process concept (i.e., one that is…

This paper demonstrates a method for constructing long variables using items that elicit partically correct responses across ages. Long variables may be defined by students at different ages (year levels) attempting common items within a test containing other items considered to be appropriate for each age or year level. A developmental model of…

This paper examines research studies that have concluded that elementary school children can learn more difficult and abstract social studies concepts than are taught in the traditional social studies curriculum. Research studies that focus on constraints on cognition, the use of embedded concepts, and understanding knowledge restructuring and…

Three design strategies for selecting number of instructional instances needed in concept learning were investigated. Two strategies used adaptive procedures for the selection, while a nonadaptive strategy selected instances by number of associated attributes. The data analysis showed that the full adaptive strategy (using pretask and on-task…

This paper presents the thesis that information gained from the extensive research on conservation training can be utilized in planning curriculum content and teaching strategies, especially in concept acquisition. It is suggested that precise teaching techniques have been created and evaluated in studies of conservation training, and that every…

Two ways in which the college teacher accustomed to formal thought and formal teaching can reach students who are more adept at concrete learning are suggested. Guidelines are provided for the first method, which entails the incorporation of activities and materials into the regular lecture or lecture-discussion format of the class. The second,…

A course in macro economics, designed to teach economic concepts and to improve student attitudes toward the discipline, is described. It is divided into 10 weeks of core study, using a self-instructional package, and 4 weeks for student options. Objectives of the core study are application of economic concepts to current events, feedback through…

While previous research has demonstrated a correspondence between measures of instructional content and psychological structure due to learning, this research report examines whether individual learner differences affect this correspondence. Individuals of the field independence psychological structure were expected to impose greater structure and…

This paper supports the position that Piaget's theory (including both structural and functional components), methods, and empirical data have a central role to play in the development of an effective, comprehensive pedagogy. A structural-developmental theory coordinates the teacher's knowledge of curriculum with knowledge of cognitive demands…

This paper discusses a concept-based approach to teaching secondary geography. It is intended to help teachers in Australia write suitable geography programs and adopt teaching practices appropriate to the 1980s. A useful way to understand "concept" is to put the idea in a context with the definitions of other words such as fact,…

The contributions of psychology, theoretically and experimentally, to university teaching are examined from the perspective of educational epistemology. The most basic theoretical contribution that psychology has made to cognitive learning has been the delineation of a unit of thinking, the concept, which acts as an organizer of experience. The…

Robert Gagne's model as presented in "The Conditions of Learning" (1970) is modified, extended, and used to form a logical model applicable to planning and teaching the social studies. It is used to develop planning procedures and to sequence instructional activities consistent with attaining complex levels of student learning. Sample…