Respondents' problem-solving behaviors comprise behaviors that represent complicated cognitive processes that are frequently systematically tied to one another. Biometric data, such as visual fixation counts (FCs), which are an important eye-tracking indicator, can be combined with other types of variables that reflect different aspects of…

Computational thinking (CT) is a set of cognitive skills that every child should acquire. K-12 classrooms are expected to provide students opportunities (tasks) to think computationally. We introduce a CT competency assessment for middle school students. The assessment design process started by establishing a cognitive model of CT domain mastery,…

Technological advancements initially made it possible for individuals with different cultures from different parts of the world to consider working together, and eventually collaboration turned into a necessity. Based on this necessity, OECD measured collaborative problem-solving (CPS) competencies of 15-year-old students from the countries…

Detection of students' ability levels is one of the common aims in educational studies. Cognitive Diagnosis Modeling approach has been used recently for the purpose of ability level detection by defined Q-matrices. To evaluate students' strengths and weaknesses, determine their mastery skills, and design instructions and interventions in learning…

Many techniques have been used to train creative problem-solving skills. Although the available techniques have often proven to be effective, creative training often discounts the value of thinking about applications. In this study, 248 undergraduates were asked to develop advertising campaigns for a new high-energy soft drink. Solutions to this…

The Gain-Loss model is a probabilistic skill multimap model for assessing learning processes. In practical applications, more than one skill multimap could be plausible, while none corresponds to the true one. The article investigates whether constraining the error probabilities is a way of uncovering the best skill assignment among a number of…

Problem-­solving assessment is an essential component of multi-­tiered systems of support such as response to intervention (RTI) and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). This authoritative work provides a complete guide to implementing a wide range of problem­-solving assessment methods, including: (1) functional behavioral…

Cognitive scientists investigate mental models (how humans organize and structure knowledge in their minds) so as to understand human understanding of and interactions with the world. Cognitive and mental model research is concerned with internal conceptual systems that are not easily or directly observable. The goal of this research was to…

This report makes recommendations for the development of middle-school assessment in mathematics, based on a synthesis of scientific findings in cognitive psychology and mathematics education. The focus is on background research, rather than test specifications or example tasks. Readers interested in early development and pilot efforts associated…

The purpose of this study is to apply the attribute hierarchy method (AHM) to a sample of SAT algebra items administered in March 2005. The AHM is a psychometric method for classifying examinees' test item responses into a set of structured attribute patterns associated with different components from a cognitive model of task performance. An…

Cognitive task analysis grew out of efforts by cognitive psychologists to understand problem-solving in a lab setting. It has proved a useful tool for describing expert performance in complex problem solving domains. This review considers two general models of cognitive task analysis and examines the procedures and results of analyses in three…

A prescriptive model of problem-solving performance is described. The aim of the model is to specify explicitly how problems should be described initially in such a form as to facilitate their subsequent solution. According to the model, the process of initial problem description can be decomposed into two successive stages. The first uses general…

This study examined a proposed procedure for constructing theoretical descriptions of mechanics problems, in particular, to determine if the procedure led to explicit and correct descriptions of the motion and interaction of systems and if the resulting theoretical descriptions facilitated generation of correct constraint equations and, hence,…

Constructed-response formats are desired for measuring complex and dynamic response processes that require the examinee to understand the structures of problems and micro-level cognitive tasks. These micro-level tasks and their organized structures are usually unobservable. This study shows that elementary graph theory is useful for organizing…

Issues in the development of assessments of higher order thinking skills for college graduates are discussed in the order in which they were presented when this series of papers was commissioned. With regard to Issue 1, it is generally agreed that the development of these skills is a desirable goal, but there is little consensus on how they should…