Processing fluency--the experienced ease with which a mental operation is performed--has attracted little attention in educational psychology, despite its relevance. The present article reviews and integrates empirical evidence on processing fluency that is relevant to school education. Fluency is important, for instance, in learning,…

THE NATURE OF A CONCEPT WAS EXPLICATED IN TERMS OF FOUR CHARACTERISTICS--DEFINABILITY, STRUCTURE, PSYCHOLOGICAL MEANINGFULNESS AND UTILITY. A CONCEPT LEARNING STRATEGY WAS SEEN TO BE COMPRISED OF THREE SETS OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES--(1) ANALYZING SITUATION, (2) SECURING INFORMATION, AND (3) PROCESSING INFORMATION. A SERIES OF 19 CONTROLLED…

Attempts to clarify the concepts of model, simulation, and game on a theoretical basis, with emphasis on application in the field of computer assisted instruction. (DD)

Discusses the question of aptitude from within an information-processing perspective, examines how aptitude is conceptualized in this framework, and discusses one possible component of L2 aptitude: working memory. (56 references) (Author/CK)

Much recent cognitive and artificial intelligence research has focused on the development of "schema theory." This theory supposes the existence of knowledge and memory structures that encode prototypical descriptions of familiar concepts. Schema theory has developed in a scientific environment that stresses interdisciplinary approaches…

The material presented in this article is intended to help students learn how to learn. The seven key concepts of David Ausubel's assimilation theory for cognitive learning are discussed with reference to the classroom. Concept mapping is suggested as a tool for demonstrating how the seven key concepts function. (SA)

The cognitive revolution began in the 1950s as researchers began to move away from the study of knowledge acquisition and behaviorism to the study of information and the way it is processed. Four factors are discussed in chapter 1 as contributing to the increase in popularity of the "cognitive revolution" (increasing enthusiasm for the…

Learning is not a simple unitary process. This paper identifies three qualitatively different phases of the learning process. In one phase, the learner acquires facts and information, accumulating more structures onto the already existing knowledge structures. This phase of learning is adequate only when the material being learned is part of a…

Describes the contents of a book entitled The Care and Feeding of Ideas: A Guide to Encouraging Creativity which considers the thinking process, why skills need to be developed, and how students use or should use these thinking skills. (RT)

Scientists and students often believe that if they just think harder about a problem, a solution will follow. However, thinking about one's thinking, or using metacognition, can be a more productive expenditure of mental energy. Introducing students to metacognition allows them to discover the value of reflection. This article presents a lesson on…

The theoretical and practical structure of a learning skills program based on an organization model is described. The first section of the paper deals with the description and implication of the program. Ideographic questioning and examination of a group of students and their study habits led to the development of an information processing model…