Gestalt psychologists proposed two distinct learning mechanisms. Associative learning occurs gradually through the repeated co-occurrence of external stimuli or memories. Insight learning occurs suddenly when people discover new relationships within their prior knowledge as a result of reasoning or problem solving processes that re-organize or…

Around 1960, there were quite radical changes in emphasis in many countries in school chemistry education, with subsequent changes in many university courses. Considerable research was undertaken to explore the learning problems students were reporting and the common thread underlying became apparent: it related to the way humans process new…

Concludes that the model of cultural transmission designed by Dobbert et al and described in this journal is a major advance in the field, but that the model will only be fully rounded once they incorporate the processes by which the learner acquires his or her culture. (RDN)

An educational psychologist outlines some recent changes in the conception of human learning and memory, and discusses their implications for the design and practice of instruction. (MF)

Several different conceptions of the relationship between learning and development are considered in this article. It is argued that dialectical and ecological developmental orientations might provide a useful basis for synthesizing the contrasting frameworks of the operant, information processing, learning theory, and knowledge acquisition…

It is suggested that most of the things people learn are not taught; they are learned by induction. Learning and teaching theories are analyzed with a focus on the induction theory and its implications. The symbol processing carried out by computers is used as a point for comparison. (JMD)

Cognitive load theory suggests that the manner in which information is presented can interfere with learning. For example, in studying equations with unfamiliar notations, a heavy extraneous cognitive load is generated because mental integration of notations and meanings is required. Discusses four experiments with high school students designed to…

A theory of learning and forgetting is proposed which uses an information processing (IP) model. The IP model views learning as a process of storing, retrieving, and outputing information from a permanent memory. The concept of information pattern is important to the IP model because the pattern of information determines how the information will…

"This paper consists of three sections--(a) the relation of theoretical analyses of learning to curriculum design, (b) the role of information-processing models in analyses of learning processes, and (c) selected examples of the application of information-processing models to curriculum design problems." (Author)

This report presents research concerned with two information-processing constructs, "cognitive strategies" and "cognitive styles." Study one analyzes thinking-aloud protocols obtained from a female undergraduate doing anagram problems. Several major strategies are described, along with basic "Operators" subject used to construct and modify…