Cognitive psychology's most useful contribution to dramatic theory is the concept of schemata, or the mental structures that make up part of the perceptual cycle. In regard to an audience-oriented dramatic theory, this suggests that analysis of a script ought to identify the sorts of schemata that are to be aroused in the audience's minds and the…

Reports the results of a study that investigated kindergarten children's understanding of historical concepts and the sources of that knowledge. Concludes that though the children in this study had a rudimentary knowledge of the past, acquired mainly from parents and pictures, kindergarteners are largely unable to understand simple concepts of…

Presents an associational model for the diffusion of complex innovations which describes stages that individuals go through when adopting new ideas. The model was tested in a study that examined the cognitive structures of individuals at different stages in the adoption of computer-assisted legal research systems. (31 references) (Author/CLB)

Cognitive performance can be improved through the explicit instruction of strategies that produce good performance. Variations in the ability to access knowledge relevant to specific materials that might affect strategy use, students' perceptions of strategies, and strategy maintenance are considered. (TJH)

States that Clandinin and Connelly (1987) provide a useful basis for examining teachers' personal knowledge and argues that the personal knowledge that most influences teachers' instructional practice may not be beliefs or theories, but rather how they organize instructional knowledge. Develops the concept of knowledge structures and illustrates…

Examines the cognitive approach to understanding teaching which places emphasis on how teachers are compelled by the thoughts they think while acting. States that such knowledge offers a vital but partial account of why teachers do what they do. States that further research must investigate how cultural and social understanding influence teaching…

Presents a model to account for the generalization of attributes from a sample to a population in the formation of stereotypes. Argues that stereotypes are heavily influenced by the attributes of those group members most strongly associated with the group label, and that stereotypes change only when disconfirming attributes are associated with…

Students with learning disabilities work to avoid difficult tasks while trying to appear competent ("passing"). They also check, monitor, and evaluate their actions, a form of "metacognition." These are flip sides of the same coin of strategic interaction and are context-bound, not context-free activities. (Author/LHW)

Examines the interrelationships among cognitive and social rigidity, intelligence and personal adjustment in old age, and evaluates a six-week training program teaching social problem-solving skills to the elderly. The hypothesis that cognitive rigidity is independent of social rigidity was not fully supported, and the findings suggest that social…

Subjects, who were pretested for levels of cognitive complexity and occupational positivity, participated in one of four self-administered vocational interventions. Results indicated subjects decreased in levels of complexity but increased in levels of occupational positivity over time. Effects were qualified by the differential impact of various…

Activity theory posits that culturally organized actions guide the acquisition and organization of knowledge. This theory was applied to the organization of knowledge within a large milk processing plant. The dairy was found to be organized by social knowledge, yet individuals creatively synthesized several domains of knowledge to organize their…

Tested the assumptions that the structural features of vocational schemas affect vocational information processing and career self-efficacy. Results indicated that effective vocational information processing was facilitated by well-integrated systems that processed information along fewer dimensions. The importance of schematic organization on the…

Two traditions of studying teachers and teaching have emerged over the last 50 years: the psychometric and the phenomenological. Procedures developing from personal construct theory are in the phenomenological tradition and provide the means for student teacher and supervisor/teacher educator to discuss all aspects of teaching in a counseling…

This study explored whether 142 teachers from different academic disciplines possessed different theories of knowledge and different attitudes toward education, and whether those attitudes affected classroom practice. Findings indicated that, on three of four scales used in the study, teachers differed as a function of academic discipline.…

Describes the initial validation of a new instrument and comprehensive rating manual designed to enhance the accuracy of measurement of the Perry scheme. (Author)