Discusses a prototype training system for organizational decision makers to help with information flow and reduce information overload. The system embeds an interactive simulation within a computer-based instruction system to enable decision makers to develop and employ information-filtering criteria. (Author/LRW)

Finds that computer simulations can be used to visualize the processes involved with lunar tides. Technology adds value, thus opening new paths for a more distinct analysis and increased learning results. (Author/CCM)

Participants in 2 experiments interacted with computer simulations designed to foster understanding of scientific principles governing complex adaptive systems. The quality of participants' transportable understanding was measured by the amount of transfer between 2 simulations governed by the same principle. The perceptual concreteness of the…

The credibility of an instructional simulation is the most important issue in distance education, where it may replace hands-on activities. This credibility is based in large part upon verisimilitude, a perception strongly influenced by the simulation's realism. This paper presents a case study encompassing the design process of a simulation-based…

Computer simulation of the Alonso household location model can enrich the intermediate microeconomics course. The model includes decisions on location, land space, and other goods and is a valuable complement to the usual textbook model of household consumption. It has three decision variables, one of which is a "bad," and one good's price is a…

This research focused on the concept of "force" ("CHI-KA-RA" in Japanese) in Newtonian mechanics. The primary objective was to develop a tool, based on metaphor, to interpret student thinking in learning scientific topics. The study provides an example of using the tool to trace the process of mutual changes in thinking during a dialog among…

Computer animation-simulation models of complex processes and events, which are the method of instruction, can be an effective didactic device. Gaining deeper knowledge about objects modelled helps to plan simulation experiments oriented on processes and events researched. Animation experiments realized on multimedia computers can aid easier…

The teaching and learning of statistics has impacted the curriculum in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Because of this growing movement to expand and include statistics into all levels of education, there is also a considerable interest in how to teach statistics. For statistics concepts that tend to be very difficult or…

As cognitive architectures move to account for increasingly complex real-world tasks, one of the most pressing challenges involves understanding and modeling human multitasking. Although a number of existing models now perform multitasking in real-world scenarios, these models typically employ customized executives that schedule tasks for the…

Do humans integrate experience on specific routes into metric survey knowledge of the environment, or do they depend on a simpler strategy of landmark navigation? The authors tested this question using a novel shortcut paradigm during walking in a virtual environment. The authors find that participants could not take successful shortcuts in a…

The potential for using virtual environments (VEs) in educational contexts for people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been recognized. However, very little is known about how people with ASDs interpret and understand VEs. This study aimed to investigate this directly with a group of 12 adolescents with ASDs, each individually matched…

According to a recent theory, anterior cingulate cortex is sensitive to response conflict, the coactivation of mutually incompatible responses. The present research develops this theory to provide a new account of the error-related negativity (ERN), a scalp potential observed following errors. Connectionist simulations of response conflict in an…

A simulated baseball batting task was used to compare the relative effects of attending to extraneous information (tone frequency) and attending to skill execution (direction of bat movement) on performance and swing kinematics and to evaluate how these effects differ as a function of expertise. The extraneous dual task degraded batting…

Berger and his colleagues argue that collective validation (i.e., group members' corroboration of deferential behavior) is an important source of legitimacy in informal task groups. This invites the question "What causes collective validation?" Drawing from Simmel and Blau in particular, I develop an explanation of collective validation that…

Some aspects of assistive technology can be enhanced by the application of virtual reality. Although virtual simulation offers a range of new possibilities, learning to navigate in a virtual environment is not equivalent to learning to navigate in the real world. Therefore, virtual reality simulation is advocated as a useful preparation for…