How do people select among different strategies to accomplish a given task? Across disciplines, the strategy selection problem represents a major challenge. We propose a quantitative model that predicts how selection emerges through the interplay among strategies, cognitive capacities, and the environment. This interplay carves out for each…

Compared to other subjects, the typical introductory programming (CS1) course has higher than usual rates of both failing and high grades, creating a characteristic bimodal grade distribution. In this article, I explore two possible explanations. The conventional explanation has been that learners naturally fall into populations of programmers and…

To better determine the cognitive abilities needed for computer programming, a study was done using 41 junior and senior level college students majoring in social and behavioral sciences at a Los Angeles area university. The subjects were first tested to determine their cognitive abilities with regard to spatial ability, field…