Learning to perform multiple tasks robustly is a crucial facet of human intelligence, yet its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we formulated four hypotheses concerning task interactions and investigated them by analyzing training sequence effects through a continual learning framework. Forty-nine subjects learned seven tasks sequentially, each of…

Free time in a working memory task often improves the recall performances of the to-be-remembered items. It is still debated whether the free-time effect in working memory is purely proactive, purely retroactive, or both proactive and retroactive. In the present study, we used the single-gap paradigm to explore this question. In Experiment 1, we…

The enduring challenges faced by MOOCs have consistently revolved around the low completion and high dropout rates. To explore the factors that affect the continuance intention of MOOCs, this study constructed a new theoretical model to analyze how the social and technical factors influenced the intention to continue using MOOCs through attachment…

Background and purpose of the study: STEM learning often involves a multitude of complex and abstract concepts and ideas that can be challenging for students to comprehend. Research suggests that the oral and visual representations in video lectures can maximize students' cognitive infrastructure, helping them to organize knowledge more…

This paper investigates how ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, can be introduced to STEM education, specifically, an "Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience" class. Using mixed-method research, the study conducted an experiment to collect students' performance scores and their feedback to examine the potential impacts from…

Studies have shown that informing language learners about the literal underpinning of idioms can help them to remember these expressions. It has also been suggested that prompting learners to guess the meaning of lexical items may be beneficial because it can pique their curiosity and promote cognitive engagement. In the case of idioms, the…

An emerging body of studies demonstrates that practicing retrieval of studied information, by comparison with restudying or no treatment, can facilitate subsequent learning and retrieval of new information, a phenomenon termed the 'forward testing effect' (FTE) or 'test-potentiated new learning." Several theoretical explanations have been…

The study investigated the effect of an instructor's positive (vs. neutral) emotions in video lectures on student learning using either easy or difficult geography topics (i.e. easy: the Earth within the universe; difficult: understanding time and date calculations of Earth). The results showed that, first, students responded more positively…

Recent studies established that making concurrent judgments of learning (JOLs) can significantly alter (typically enhance) memory itself--a "reactivity" effect. The current study recruited 190 Chinese children (M[subscript age] = 8.68 years; 101 female) in 2020 and 2021 to explore the reactivity effect on children's learning, its…

Background Studies: Captioning and repetition are widely used multimedia instructional devices for non-native students. Generally, studies in this area have tended to focus on second language literacy skills rather than on learning new content knowledge. Additionally, posttests were administered immediately after the treatments, while the delayed…

Vocabulary is an essential component of language learning. Despite the fact that form-focused instruction (hereinafter FFI) has been demonstrated to be effective in language learning, it remains unclear when and how FFI can contribute to vocabulary learning. To address this question, this study takes the timing of FFI into consideration and…

Working memory (WM) is essential to vocabulary learning. However, limited attention has been paid to young beginner learners' vocabulary development under various task conditions from the perspective of WM. This study investigates how two types of WM--complex WM and phonological short-term memory--may influence two instructional approaches (i.e.,…

This study explores the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) in Chinese as a second language (CSL) vocabulary learning from the international students' perspective. A new theoretical framework of VR-based vocabulary learning was designed and verified to serve the investigation. A total of 30 international students learning CSL in a Chinese…

An increasing number of MOOCs use learning videos featuring an instructor and slides, but there are few specific guidelines for the design of instructor images for these videos. A pedagogical agent (PA) is a kind of virtual instructor image in a learning video, and its image design is mostly guided by anthropomorphism. Our research attempts to…

Student learning in simple electric circuits has been an important area in physics education research. This study builds off a previous investigation that applied the conceptual framework model to examine knowledge integration in student learning of simple electric circuits and developed a multiple-choice concept test for assessing knowledge…