Complex working memory span tasks have been shown to predict performance on a number of measures of higher-order cognition including fluid abilities. However, exactly why performance on these tasks is related to higher-order cognition is still not known. The present study examined the patterns of errors made on two common complex span tasks. The…

Three studies, all on student populations, looked at the relationship between a recently psychometrised measure of General Knowledge [Irwing, P., Cammock, T., & Lynn, R. (2001). Some evidence for the existence of a general factor of semantic memory and its components. "Personality and Individual Differences," 30, 857-871], both long…

The statistical thinking exhibited by 14-19 year-old students during clinical interview sessions is described. The students' thinking with regard to fundamental statistics concepts is reported in order to help inform instructional practice.

Findings are presented from an ongoing study of three final-year, honors-level course units in the biosciences with a combined intake of 85 students. The data on which the analysis draws comprise semi-structured interviews with students together with findings from an Experiences of Teaching and Learning questionnaire. The investigation forms part…

Literature on relational reasoning mainly focuses on the performance question. It is typically argued that problem difficulty relies on the number of ''mental models'' compatible with the problem. However, no study has ever investigated the wording of conclusions that participants formulate. In the present work, we analyze the relational terms…

Clinical interviews administered to third- to sixth-graders explored children's conceptualizations of rational number and of certain extensive physical quantities. We found within child consistency in reasoning about diverse aspects of rational number. Children's spontaneous acknowledgement of the existence of numbers between 0 and 1 was strongly…

When teaching writing, a teacher never knows when a student will truly grasp the importance of the lesson being presented. Teachers know that some students will see the relevance, while others may not immediately grasp the value of what they present in the classroom. In order to convince students they should actively participate in his technical…

The American workplace needs a workforce competent in a trade area and proficient in communication skills, group interaction skills, computer skills, and critical thinking skills. Many may argue that it is not possible to teach a technician all these skills in just two years--hence the need for new teaching strategies. Thus, in this article, the…

How to teach flexible thinking and learning skills, particularly creativity and the skill of "learning to learn," is a key concern for CSCL in the context of the emerging Networked Society. The currently dominant paradigms for supporting pedagogical design within CSCL, including socio-cultural theory, are limited in the support that they can offer…

The Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production (TCT-DP), its design, concept and evaluation scheme as well as experiences and results of application are described. The test was designed to mirror a more holistic concept of creativity than the mere quantitatively oriented, traditional divergent thinking tests. The specific design using figural…

Aim: To assess the influence of a graduate-entry PBL (problem-based learning) curriculum on individual learning style; and to investigate the relationship between learning style, academic achievement and clinical reasoning skill. Method: Subjects were first-year medical students completed the Study Process Questionnaire at the commencement, and…

This experiment tested whether children's insight into a difficult symbolic relation could be increased by explicitly emphasizing the intentionality surrounding the artifact's creation and use. Specifically, I explicitly emphasized (a) the adult's intent to communicate information via the artifact and (b) the artifact's intentional origins and…

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of medical conditions of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities on the professional support they receive in centres for special education. Method: The medical files, the daily records and daily communication records between parents and professionals were reviewed…

This paper reports two studies into the understanding of the concept of potential difference in the current-potential difference-resistance context among 8th-12th graders (Study 1), and the efficiency of a learning device derived from Social Judgment Theory (Study 2). These two studies showed that: (a) when asked to infer potential difference from…

Whether it is volcanoes or video games, teachers know that when children enjoy a subject, they are far more motivated to take charge of their education. What teachers are learning now is that offering high interest topics may be less important than offering kids challenging tasks--new problems to solve--that tap into the way children's brains are…