It is of major importance to use psychological tests and questionnaires that are carefully constructed so that their reliability and validity can be determined in different (sub)cultures (Campbell & Tirri, 2004). However, a necessary prerequisite for this is the development of solid conceptual constructs. Otherwise, the researcher runs into the…

There is evidence that spontaneous learning leads to relational understanding and high positive affect. To study spontaneous abstracting, a model was constructed by combining the RBC model of abstraction with Krutetskii's mental activities. Using video-stimulated interviews, the model was then used to analyze the behavior of two Year 8 students…

Purpose: This paper aims to generate both a theoretical and an empirical basis for a research model that serves in further research as an analytical tool for understanding the complex phenomenon of learning at different levels in a work organisation. The key concept in this model is the routine concept of Nelson and Winter.…

This article discusses an approach to teacher belief systems which casts an eye away from cognitive constructs toward sociological constructs to complement existing ideas about the nature and genesis of beliefs. I offer some theoretical ideas for extending the notion of beliefs and describe two contrasting senior mathematics teachers,…

Concepts, propositions, proposition sets, and process patterns are discussed as elements of a model of language-related basic thinking skills. The term "concept" is defined and illustrated, and a model of concept attainment is briefly described. Illustrations are offered for a set of 430 basic concept clusters intended for use as a…

Learnability theory involves the construction of formal mathematical proofs whose goal is to demonstrate how the child can successfully induce a mature grammar. An empirically adequate learnability proof constitutes a detailed hypothesis concerning the boundary conditions within which acquisition proceeds and can provide a general framework for…

This article reports the development of a mathematics course using the mastery learning model and a study of the relationship between learning rate and verbal and quantitative aptitudes. (Author)

A review of the research on techniques for increasing the novice's understanding of computers and computer programming, this paper considers the potential usefulness of five tentative recommendations pertinent to the design of computer literacy curricula: (1) provide the learner with a concrete model of the computer; (2) encourage the learner to…

Diagramming composition as a control structure allows us to see the interaction between process and product and to discover that composition is not a linear process but starts and stops, returns and fixes, and moves ahead. In the interaction of three factors--the real world, the writer, and the reader--a text is produced. The objects, social…

TO DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH TRANSFER OCCURS, THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED TRANSFER RESULTING FROM THE LEARNING OF A SPECIFIC RULE OR PROCESSING FORMULA. PREVIOUS RESEARCH WAS COMBINED INTO A TENTATIVE THEORY OF TRANSFER WHICH WAS TESTED AND ASSESSED BY FOCUSING ON BOTH TRIALS-TO-CRITERION AND VERBAL REPORTS AS MEASURES OF…

The theoretical functions of external feedback in SR and closed loop models of verbal learning are presented. Contradictory predictions from the models are tested with a three by three factorial experiment including three types of feedback and three amounts of rehearsal. There were 90 adult students run individually and they were required to learn…

The Wisconsin model of conceptual learning and development specifies four levels of mastery in the acquisition of a concept. The levels of mastery are defined in terms of performance on tasks designed to measure each level. This paper discusses the internal operations or processes which are inferred as the mechanisms by which each level of…

AN EXTENSION OF MODELING BEHAVIOR INTO COGNITIVE AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT WAS ATTEMPTED THROUGH THE USE OF FILM-MEDIATED MODELS FOR THE ACTIVATION AND GENERALIZATION PHASES OF THE CONSERVATION PROBLEM. FOUR HYPOTHESES WERE SET UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUESTION SUCH PREVIOUS EXPLANATIONS OF THE CONSERVATION RESPONSE AS THOSE OF PIAGET AND BRUNER. THE…

A review of some recent experiments suggested that general similarity between words might successfully function as a structural principle for semantic memory. A spatial model based on that assumption is proposed. The relation of this model to network and set-theoretic models of semantic memory is discussed, as is the relation of this model for…

The current state of experimental research on mental retardation is considered from a historical perspective. (Author)