As an alternative to dominant cognitive-constructivist approaches to educational technology, this article makes the case for what has been termed a discursive, or postcognitive, psychological research paradigm. It does so by adapting discursive psychological analyses of conversational activity to the study of educational technology use. It applies…

The report presents both a way of looking at perceptual mechanisms in nervous systems in terms of distributed information processing, and a way of creating computer models of parts of nervous systems. The first notion views a nervous system as a collection of interacting parallel-operating computation units, each of which has some part of the…

The computational model of question answering proposed by a computer program, QUALM, is a theory of conceptual information processing based on models of human memory organization. It has been developed from the perspective of natural language processing in conjunction with story understanding systems. The processes in QUALM are divided into four…

The number of children and adolescents accessing the Internet as well as the amount of time online are steadily increasing. The most common online activities include playing video games, navigating web sites, and communicating via chat rooms, email, and instant messaging. A theoretical framework for understanding the effects of Internet use on…

This report describes digital computer simulation efforts in a study of memory systems for two important cases: that of the individual the brain; and that of society, the library. A neural system model is presented in which a complex system is produced by connecting simple hypothetical neurons whose states change under application of a…

Discusses a study which investigated whether a computer simulation model could suggest subroutines that were instructable and whether instruction on these subroutines could facilitate subjects' solutions to the problem task. (JM)

The goal of problem-solving education should be to develop tools for thinking that will constitute a shell or framework of action procedures that can be applied on an ever-changing database. These tools come in the form of heuristics that can be modified and adapted to new situations. (Author/MLW)

Reviews recent progress in modeling human cognition, in particular the use of computers in generating models. Topics covered include the information processing approach to cognition, problem solving, semantic memory, pattern induction, and learning and cognitive development. A 164-item reference list is attached. (JL)

REGRESSION ANALYSIS, DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS, AND A COMBINATION OF THESE STATISTICAL MODELS CANNOT PROVIDE INFORMATION APPROPRIATE TO INDIVIDUAL CAREER CHOICE THROUGH VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE. THESE MODELS IGNORE INDIVIDUAL VARIANCE IN ASPIRATION LEVELS AND MEANINGFUL DIMENSIONS OF JOB SATISFACTION. CENTOUR ANALYSIS PROVIDES FOR BOTH THROUGH USE OF…

Examines Boisot's model of information processes and information economics based on information space in three dimensions (I-space). I-space is used as a framework to explain the success of computer-based tools in information scanning and dissemination, and their failure to support problem areas in the process of knowledge creation, especially…

PROBLEMS IN THE SCHEDULING AND COMPLETION OF SCHOOL BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ARE DISCUSSED WITH REFERENCE TO THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD OF PROGRAMING. THE DISCUSSION GIVES A BROAD OVERVIEW OF THE METHOD WITH DETAILED SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS. SPECIFIC SUBJECT AREAS INCLUDE--(1) CPM, A NEW MANAGEMENT TOOL, (2) CPM…

Attempts to determine the skills that make people good problem solvers and some of the methods that have been developed to teach these skills are reviewed. Methods used by educators and psychologists to define, describe, or analyze problems and problem solving determine the method used to teach problem-solving skills. (Author/MLW)

A theory of memory is introduced, which seeks to respond to the shortcomings of existing theories based on metaphors. Memory is presented as a mechanism, a comparison process in which information held in some form of immediate storage (whether based on perception or previous cognition or both) is compared to previously stored long-term storage.…

Suggests a model of human cognition by describing similarities between human and electronic computers. This model might guide the development of software so that it is sufficiently powerful and flexible to be of value to human computers as they construct new knowledge in chemistry. (JN)

The greatest future impacts of the computer communications technology upon engineering education may exist in its capacity to manage total systems and to extend education beyond current campus borders. Computers can guide learners, professionals, and agencies in education to methods maximized to attain their goals. Sophisticated information…