This article discusses the importance of studying interest and reviews research on the association between interest and prior knowledge to conclude that there is a substantial linear relationship between the two. A model of the interest-knowledge relationship is updated, and the similarity between interest and curiosity is explored. (SLD)

This study examined effects of individual differences in speak-span scores and variations in memory demands on class-inclusion performance of 10-, 13-, and 15-year-olds. Results from regression analyses and the mathematical model indicated that differences in age, speak span, and memory load affected performance. Effects of speak span and memory…

Suggests an account of transitivity and transitive inferential reasoning differing from classic Piagetian and current information processing accounts. Postulates a three-component psychological system, with components relying on perceptual, linguistic, and conceptual subprocesses and sensitivity to simple cues. Maintains that the framework is…

Presents a way to diagnose and solve motivation problems at work. Describes a model based on recent cognitive performance motivation research. Explains the CANE (Commitment And Necessary Effort) model and illustrates with a case study. Discusses the CANE model's applicability in any performance setting. (AEF)

Speeded performance on simple mental addition problems of 6- and 7-year-olds with and without mild mental retardation was modeled from a person perspective and an item perspective, both inferred from Siegler's work. Models from item response theory were used to test hypotheses. Found that all children follow same developmental path in acquiring…

Magnitude is assumed to be represented along a holistic mental number line in adults. However, the authors recently observed a unit-decade compatibility effect for 2-digit numbers that is inconsistent with this "holisticness" assumption (H.-C. Nuerk, U. Weger, & K. Willmes, 2001). This study used the compatibility effect to examine whether the…

Tools for measuring cognitive engagement within online groups have been concerned only with measuring an individual participant's cognitive engagement, without any concern for measuring cognitive engagement within groups. There remains a serious need for a scheme that measures cognitive engagement of groups and the validation of such a scheme…

This research examined students' responses to mathematics problem-solving tasks and applied a general multidimensional IRT model at the response category level. In doing so, cognitive processes were identified and modelled through item response modelling to extract more information than would be provided using conventional practices in scoring…

Recent experiments have shown that placing dissimilar items on lists of phonologically similar items enhances accuracy of ordered recall of the dissimilar items [Farrell, S., & Lewandowsky, S. (2003). Dissimilar items benefit from phonological similarity in serial recall. "Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition," 29,…

Four pairs of connectionist simulations are presented in which quasi-regular mappings are computed using localist and distributed representations. In each simulation, a control parameter termed input gain was modulated over the only level of representation that mapped inputs to outputs. Input gain caused both localist and distributed models to…

Background: Whether selective attention is a primary deficit in childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) remains in active debate. Methods: We used the "perceptual load" paradigm to examine both early and late selective attention in children with the Primarily Inattentive (ADHD-I) and Combined subtypes (ADHD-C) of ADHD. Results:…

The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers with a shared framework, terminology and tool to improve the coherence of research into learning mathematics with CAS and to assist its findings to accumulate into a significant body of knowledge. Experience with calculators in arithmetic led to a framework for number sense. There is an obvious…

Infants' understanding of "toy model-real exemplar" relations was assessed through preferential looking and habituation tasks. Results from the preferential looking task suggest that 18-month toddlers are just beginning to demonstrate comprehension of symbolic relations between iconic models and their real object counterparts. Performance of 10-…

This article aims to examine how media and computers can serve as a vehicle for the enhancement of spiritual and religious identity and socialization. An innovative typological model (RSTM) for assessing secularity and religiosity and its implications on the need to utilize advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) are discussed.…

According to mental speed theory of intelligence, the speed of information processing constitutes an important basis for cognitive abilities. However, the question, how mental speed relates to real world criteria, like school, academic, or job performance, is still unanswered. The aim of the study is to test an indirect speed-factor model in…