It is argued that the reduction of cognitive dissonance can be viewed as a constraint satisfaction problem, and a computational model of the process of consonance seeking is proposed. Simulations from this model matched psychological findings from the insufficient justification and free-choice paradigms of cognitive dissonance theory. (SLD)

Maintains that recent elaborations of the Baddeley and Hitch working memory model offer a better account of processes underlying cognitive development than that by existing neo-Piagetian interpretations. Argues that the episodic buffer, newly added to the model, offers a way of dealing with more complex cognitive activities. Suggests that attempts…

A covariance structure modeling method to test equality in proportions explained variance in studied unobserved dimensions by means of latent predictors is outlined. The procedure is applicable with multiple-indicator, structural equation models where of interest is to compare the predictive power of sets of latent independent variables for given…

Scores on cognitive tasks used in intelligence tests correlate positively with each other, that is, they display a positive manifold of correlations. The positive manifold is often explained by positing a dominant latent variable, the g factor, associated with a single quantitative cognitive or biological process or capacity. In this article, a…

One of the arguments for active externalism (also known as the extended mind thesis) is that if a process counts as cognitive when it is performed in the head, it should also count as cognitive when it is performed in the world. Consequently, mind extends into the world. I argue for a corollary: We sometimes perform actions in our heads that we…

A normative framework for modeling causal and counterfactual reasoning has been proposed by Spirtes, Glymour, and Scheines (1993; cf. Pearl, 2000). The framework takes as fundamental that reasoning from observation and intervention differ. Intervention includes actual manipulation as well as counterfactual manipulation of a model via thought. To…

A 2-high-threshold signal detection (HTSDT) model, a mixture distribution (SON) model, and 2-highthreshold (HT) models with responses distributed over 1 or several response categories were fit to results of 6 experiments from 2 studies on associative recognition: R. Kelley and J. T. Wixted (2001) and A. P. Yonelinas (1997). HTSDT assumes that…

We present a computational model that learns a coupling between motor parameters and their sensory consequences in vocal production during a babbling phase. Based on the coupling, preferred motor parameters and prototypically perceived sounds develop concurrently. Exposure to an ambient language modifies perception to coincide with the sounds from…

The crucial role of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in episodic memory is well established. Although there is little doubt that its anatomical subregions--the hippocampus, peri-, entorhinal and parahippocampal cortex (PHC)--contribute differentially to mnemonic processes, their specific functions in episodic memory are under debate. Data from…

Automated Student Modelling explicates reasoning strategies, the representation of procedural skills, and underlying misconceptions as manifested in errors. A diagnostic model, based on a "procedural network" as opposed to a "semantic network," is presented which provides a technique both for modelling the underlying cognitive processes of a…

Proposes a model to explain the underlying theoretical foundation by which Internet learning takes place in an educational environment. Central to this model is the hypothesis that learning and teaching are distinguishable consequences of Internet use in education. The "orbicular model" not only enunciates this hypothesis, but extends the process…

What lies behind the lack of theorizing about content in history in contrast to much greater attention given to theorizing about children's developing understanding of historical skills and processes? Egan's model of the characteristic ways in which children of different ages engage with the world is used to raise the question of what content to…

The human brain is not a passive organ simply waiting to be activated by external stimuli. Instead, we propose that the brain continuously employs memory of past experiences to interpret sensory information and predict the immediately relevant future. The basic elements of this proposal include analogical mapping, associative representations and…

A biologically detailed computational model is described of how categorization judgments become automatic in tasks that depend on procedural learning. The model assumes 2 neural pathways from sensory association cortex to the premotor area that mediates response selection. A longer and slower path projects to the premotor area via the striatum,…

This study sought to improve students' comprehension of scientific graphs by adapting scaffolding techniques used to aid text comprehension. In 3 experiments involving 121 female and 88 male college students, some students were shown cognitive aids prior to viewing 4 geography graphs whereas others were not; all students were then asked to write a…