Although the study of learning theory can produce principles applicable to the design of instruction, virtually no instructional materials in existence today have deliberately been prepared on the basis of such principles. Terms used in four different learning theories--motivation, (Neal Miller); stimulus control (Skinner); distinctive conditions…

Effects on learning of most principal independent variables can be generalized within, but not between, five different categories: intellectual skills, verbal information, cognitive strategies, motor skills, and attitudes. Psychological research has been and continues to be well-served by this categorization. (GC)

Beginning with an identification and brief description of the four major types of memory structures--networks of propositions, intellectual skills, images, and episodes--this extensive review of previous studies identifies many examples of improved retention and transfer resulting from combinations of structures, as opposed to single structures. A…

In planning educational research, recognition needs to be made of five domains of learning: (1) motor skills, (2) verbal information, (3) intellectual skills, (4) cognitive strategies, and (5) attitudes. In being cognizant of these domains, the researcher is able to distinguish the parts of a content area which are subject to different…

It is suggested that generalizations about critical learning conditions and outcomes can be made within categories of learning processes but not across them. Implications of this proposition are examined. (Author/MM)

An observational study is described, not yet completed, of learning in school classrooms. Observations were made in a number of classes ranging from grade 1 to grade 12, including teaching in a variety of school subjects. The purpose of the study was to explore and refine a method for observing the events which support (or fail to support)…

The project was concerned with developing and testing self-instructional programs in communication skills for high school students. Initially the programs were presented in printed form; later two forms of presentation were used, printed and auditory. In the pilot studies students were put through the learning exercises individually. Two programs…

A major aspect of the problem of evaluation concerns the measurement of educational outcomes. Such measurement involves, first of all, an inference regarding what is being learned, retained, or transferred. A description is given of the operations which underlie such inferences. It is contended that educational measurement needs to concern itself…

This study explores three areas of learning hierarchies: (1) the condition for learning in accordance with learning hierarchies; (2) the use of hierarchies in the diagnosis and learning of prerequisite intellectual skills; and (3) the conditions of learning and retention of principles. There were seven studies undertaken using elementary and…