Current educational theories, such as Constructivism, are based on subjective principles which are open to interpretation and may result in wide variations in the quality of learning outcomes. Cognitive Load Optimization is a new quantitative, Science of Learning theory. Using this method, it is possible to define schemas (mental patterns of…

Higher schooling attainment is associated with better cognitive function at older ages, but it remains unclear whether the relationship is causal. We estimate causal effects of schooling on performances on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) word-recall (memory) test at older ages in China, Ghana, India, Mexico,…

As a desired outcome of education, ethical thinking has roots in philosophy, developmental psychology, and political movements that advocate for developing knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions beyond those associated with traditional school subjects. Economists, business leaders, and educators have long advocated for preparing students for an…

Drugs used to provide improvement of cognitive functioning have been shown to be effective in healthy individuals. It is sometimes assumed that the use of these drugs constitutes cheating in an academic context. We examine whether this assumption is ethically sound. Beyond providing the most up-to-date discussion of modafinil use in an academic…

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there are differences in how cognitive and noncognitive variables predict academic performance for college students with learning disabilities. In particular, this study examined the extent to which the cognitive variables of high school grade point average and SAT (combined verbal and math) or ACT…

Working memory updating (WMU) has been identified as a cognitive function of prime importance for everyday tasks and has also been found to be a significant predictor of higher mental abilities. Yet, little is known about the constituent processes of WMU. We suggest that operations required in a typical WMU task can be decomposed into 3 major…

This study tested four theoretical models in terms of their fit with demands placed on our cognitive system by traditional tests of cognitive ability. We did so by administering seven tests of cognitive ability known to require varying types of processing demands to a large group of college undergraduates (N=193). We compared the models using…

To determine if message recipients rely on heuristics when evaluating message validity, the study examines whether the differential impact of information framed in terms of losses (costs of not choosing an option) versus gains (benefits of choosing an option) might be a function of heuristic processing. Subjects, 87 undergraduate psychology…

Examines whether writers who can create vivid mental images experience intense emotions as they write. Finds that imagery contributes to the intensity of a writer's engagement with his or her evolving text and that imagery may bridge the cognitive and affective domains of thought. (PRA)

Members of dyads were asked to communicate with each other in the simple task of assembling a tinker toy model. Results indicated that when both members of the dyad were cognitively complex or when the complex member was the person giving the directions, more pieces of the model were assembled. (PD)

Examines the evidence for both the linguistic and rhetorical hypotheses about writers' planning and presents new research on episodic patterns within the writing process itself. Uses protocol analysis to look at the content and nature of writers' plans. (HOD)

A choice reaction time experiment tested the idea that the operations performed on symbols from different notational systems depend, not only on the interpretation of the symbols, but also on the symbol's notational characteristics or the ways in which they map the world. (Author)

A study with 179 Australian college students casts doubts on the usefulness of the theoretical model of human information processing postulated by S. Lehrl and B. Fischer (1990). Instead of reflecting properties of a limited capacity system, the Basic Unit of Information Processing (BIP) seems to be a marker for reading speed. (SLD)

This study tested whether the word association employed by individual students could be used to predict their performance in a particular course. It was designed to explore a new method for describing the various models used in thinking and to determine whether this approach would yield results that were consonant with current cognitive theory. At…

Investigates the relationship between simultaneous-successive information processing and academic achievement among 157 college students. Notes that high levels of simultaneous and successive processing are related systematically to high grade-point averages and that higher simultaneous processing apparently is related to high ACT performance. (SB)