Although cognitive psychology currently represents the mainstream of psychological and educational thinking, it is only recently that much concern has been shown for learning as such -- that is, concern for the factors and/or variables that influence "changes" in human performance, knowledge structures, and/or conceptions. This article examines current thinking about learning within the framework of cognitive
psychology and how a new, cognitive conception of learning can guide future research on both learning and instruction. Similarities and differences between behavioral and cognitive conceptions of learning are discussed, along with issues such as the active (rather than passive) nature of learning, the concern for understanding (i.e., comprehension), the role of prior knowledge, the cumulative nature of most forms of human learning, and the role played by cognitive analyses of performance.
Several cognitive theories of learning are presented as examples of how cognitive psychology has influenced research on learning.
Review of Educational Research (RER) publishes critical, integrative reviews of research literature bearing on education. Such reviews should include conceptualizations, interpretations, and syntheses of literature and scholarly work in a field. RER encourages the
submission of research relevant to education from any discipline, such as reviews of research in psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, political science, economics, computer science, statistics, anthropology, and biology, provided that the review bears on educational issues.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is concerned with improving the educational process by
encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. AERA is the most prominent international professional organization with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its 20,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research, testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists. The broad
range of disciplines represented by the membership includes education, psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into
your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
| Question | Answer |
|---|
| Which one of the following statements most accurately describes behaviorists view of how learning can best be studied?
| The study of learning will be more objective and scientific if only observable events are considered.
|
| Some early psychologists argued that thinking cannot be observed and so cannot be studied objectively and scientifically. How would a cognitive psychologist be most likely to respond to this argument?
| “By studying people’s responses to various stimuli, we can draw inferences about the thought processes that underlie those responses.”
|
| When cognitive psychologists talk about the process of “putting” things in memory, they often use the term:
| storage
|
| Three of the following students’ behaviors indicate that the students are paying attention. Which one does not necessarily show that students are paying attention?
| All students’ eyes are clearly directed at their teacher.
|
| It is difficult to think about too many things all at the same time—a fact that reflects:
| The limited capacity of working memory
|
| Which one of the following best describes how information is stored in long-term memory?
| n a variety of possible forms
|
| You know what a computer is, and you may also know how to send an e-mail message using a computer. The difference between these two kinds of knowledge can best be characterized as a difference between:
| visual imagery vs. elaboration.
|
| According to the textbook, students often engage in rote learning rather than meaningful learning of school subject matter because:
| nformation learned at a rote level is stored in working memory more quickly.
|
| Students often hold on stubbornly to their misconceptions about the world. Three of the following are possible explanations as to why this might be so. Which statement is not a likely explanation for the resilience of misconceptions?
| Synapses in the brain become less effective over time.
|
| Which one of the following statements best describes situated learning as it affects retrieval?
| Knowledge and skills acquired in one context are unlikely to be retrieved in a very different context.
|
| Many children lack metacognitive knowledge. This is reflected in the fact that they:
| Don’t know very much about how to learn
|
| Which one of the following is the best example of a covert (rather than overt) strategy that one might use while studying a textbook chapter?
| Working hard to keep one’s mind from wandering while reading the chapter
|
| Given research on effective study skills, which one of the following pieces of advice should you not give to a struggling student?
| “Take notes on a lecture only after it’s over.”
|
| A student who has an illusion of knowing is most likely to:
| express surprise about a low test score.
|
| Students’ epistemic beliefs can best be described as students’ views about:
| what knowledge is and how it is acquired.
|
| Which one of the following best describes a classroom that has a culture of transfer?
| Teacher and students regularly look for ways to apply what they’re studying.
|
| Which one of the following problems is the best example of an ill-defined problem?
| Helping a friend whose feelings have been hurt
|
| If we want to enhance students’ metacognitive processes during problem solving, we would be most likely to:
| suggest questions that students might ask themselves as they work on problems.
|
| Creativity often involves divergent thinking. Which one of the following is the best example of divergent thinking?
| Lacking any wooden blocks to build an arch for his toy soldiers to march under, Thomas builds an arch using upside-down paper cups.
|
| A higher-level question that helps to foster creativity asks students to respond in which one of the following ways?
| To develop an answer not specifically provided in class
|
| One characteristic common to all behaviorist learning theories is an emphasis on:
| the importance of every single event in a person’s life.
|
| Ivan Pavlov conducted a series of studies that led him to propose his theory of classical conditioning. In these studies Pavlov observed how a dog learned to:
| salivate to a simple stimulus such as a light.
|
| Classical conditioning typically occurs when:
| two stimuli are presented at about the same time.
|
| Which one of the following alternatives describes a conditioned stimulus in classical conditioning?
| A stimulus that begins to elicit a response it has not previously elicited
|
| Three of the following are examples of instrumental conditioning. Which one is not?
| Carol’s room has been a disaster area for more than a month, with toys and clothes lying about everywhere. Carol’s mother has told Carol that, once the room has been cleaned, they will spend a day at the zoo. There is no noticeable improvement in Carol’s
|
| Primary reinforcers are stimuli that:
| satisfy biologically built-in needs.
|
| Which one of the following statements best describes positive reinforcement?
| Reinforcement consists of getting something a learner wants
|
| The term negative reinforcement can best be described as a situation in which:
| something the learner doesn’t want is taken away after a response
|
| One form of instrumental conditioning, in which a response increases due to reinforcement, is referred to as __________ conditioning.
| operant
|
| Which one of the following statements most accurately describes intermittent reinforcement?
| A particular response is reinforced on some occasions but not on others
|
| Which one of the following statements best illustrates social cognitive theorists’ notion of reciprocal causation?
|
|
| Three of the following statements are consistent with social cognitive theory. Which one is not?
| Behavior is goal-directed in nature.
|
| Which one of the following is the best example of a student working for an incentive?
| Doris is studying with the hopes that she will pass her history test.
|
| Research studies indicate that three of the following can be learned by observing models. For which one has modeling not been shown to be a significant factor in learning?
| Increasing one’s IQ score
|
| As he writes a capital J on the board, Mr. Anson tells his kindergartners, “To write a capital J, you make a fishhook with a line across the top.” The primary reason that Mr. Anson is a successful model for his students in this situation is that he is:
| describing what he is doing as he demonstrates, using language students are likely to remember.
|
| Only one of the following definitely illustrates high self-efficacy. Which one is the best example of self-efficacy?
| Danielle knows she is a good singer.
|
| In what way does self-efficacy differ from the term self-concept?
| Self-efficacy varies depending on the specific task to be performed.
|
| Should students ever be allowed to fail at classroom tasks? According to social cognitive theorists, the answer is:
| Yes. Occasional failures interspersed among frequent successes teach students that perseverance pays off.
|
| Social cognitive theorists tell us that students in the United States are most likely to work for goals that:
| they have chosen for themselves.
|
| Three of the following are characteristics of self-regulated learning. Which one is not necessarily a characteristic associated with self-regulated learning?
| Working as hard as possible to achieve the teacher’s instructional objectives
|
| 1The four statements below describe effects that motivation may have on learning and/or behavior. Three of the statements are accurate. Which one is not accurate?
| Motivation enhances students’ memory for irrelevant information
|
| Which one of the following is the best example of extrinsic motivation?
| Wanting a good grade in your literature class
|
| Which one of the following students is displaying intrinsic motivation?
| Annette loves to play the viola and so practices for at least an hour every day
|
| hich one of the following alternatives best describes the concept of self-worth as a factor in motivation?
| Students like to believe that they are competent individuals.
|
| Which one of the following statements best describes motivation theorists’ concept of sense of self-determination?
| Knowing that you can accomplish something if you put your mind to it
|
| Three of the following statements about the need for relatedness are accurate. Which one is not true about the need for relatedness?
| It has been observed in some cultures but not in others
|
| From Maslow’s perspective, which one of the following best reflects a deficiency need?
| Bill is worried that Mark might beat him up on the way home from school.
|
| A student’s expectancy about classroom success is influenced by three of the following factors. Which one will probably be leastinfluential?
| Whether the student has set short-term or long-term goals
|
| Three of the following are accurate statements about interrelationships between affect and motivation. Which statement is notaccurate?
| Learners tend to be happiest when they know that events are beyond their control.
|
Although there are many different approaches to learning, there are three basic types of learning theory: behaviorist, cognitive constructivist, and social constructivist.
