This paper looks at current research into how thinking influences learning. How people explain to themselves "why" they fail and succeed inevitably impacts on how well they learn new skills. Researchers have been developing attribution retraining programmes targeted at improving student academic achievement and learning experience…

An information-processing approach to language learning is examined; language aptitude is factored into the approach, and the role of working memory is discussed. The process of learning includes two processes that make heavy use of working memory is: automatization and restructuring. At first, learners must make a conscious effort to remember and…

Discusses the origin and elaboration of the concept of learning styles. Traces the influence of a cognition and learning-centered approach to the psychology of individual development. Argues for an integration of various models into a single learning style. Includes a tabular description of fundamental dimensions of cognitive style. (MJP)

Considers the theoretical validity of two approaches to cognitive style. Wholist-Analytic maintains that cognitive processes depend on the interaction of two opposing forces, destructive and constructive. Reflection-Impulsivity characterizes learners according to their reflective or impulsive responses to solution hypotheses. Evaluates these…

Identifies metacognitive realism as the accurate assessment by a learner of their knowledge on a subject. Considers whether realism in metacognition is a stable trait, and possible influences. Briefly reviews the literature and experimental evidence and concludes that metacognitive realism is both style and strategy. (MJP)

Reviews the origins of the concept of cognitive style. Explores the fundamental applications of that style and relevant methods of assessment. Examines the distinction between style, which is likely to be relatively fixed, and strategies which are capable of being learned and developed. Discusses the relationship of style to learning preferences…

Summarizes the results of a study of 432 adult secondary students. The study examined the relationship between learning style, gender identity of the student, the subject taught, and the gender of the teacher. Multivariate techniques reveal gender identity to be the most significant factor in learning style differences. (MJP)

Provides a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of Interactive Working Groups (IWG). IWG is a process-oriented instruction developed at the Vrije University in Belgium. Analyzes such variables as prior knowledge test results, examination scores, and learning style characteristics. Results showed that IWG enhanced learning performance and…

Summarizes the results of a study of 245 university undergraduates and describes the range of individual differences in cognitive style within that sample. Identifies four broad categories: (1) cognitive personality elements, (2) information processing style, (3) approaches to studying, and (4) instructional preferences. Discusses the differences…

Students of reasoning have long tried to understand how people revise systems of beliefs. This paper maintains that people often change their beliefs in ways driven by considerations of explanatory coherence. In this report, a computational model is described of how experimental subjects revise their naive beliefs about physical motion. First,…

A theoretical framework for a psychology of coaching was developed. First, the literature on cognitive approaches to coaching, behavioral approaches to coaching, and combinations of the cognitive and behavioral approaches was reviewed. Next, two studies examined the development and validation of a new measure of private self-consciousness called…