In the recent decade, the proliferation of ICTs that require Wi-Fi routers in schools has been accompanied by public concerns about risks fueled in many cases by media reporting. The current study examines ways in which parents of school-age children perceive the issue of Wi-Fi radiation in schools by using a science literacy framework that…

Counterfactual thinking is a form of mental simulation that informs causal judgments regarding the role antecedent events played in producing present outcomes. We examined whether inducing participants to think counterfactually about a case involving eyewitness evidence would sensitize them to variations in eyewitness evidence quality.…

When asked to determine whether a syllogistic argument is deductively valid, people are influenced by their prior beliefs about the believability of the conclusion. Recently, two competing explanations for this belief bias effect have been proposed, each based on signal detection theory (SDT). Under a response bias explanation, people set more…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder often do not have access to crucial peer social activities. This study examines how typically developing adolescents evaluate decisions not to include a peer based on disability status, and the justifications they apply to these decisions. A clinical interview methodology was used to elicit judgments and…

This research applied social domain theory to illuminate reasoning about the perceived legitimacy and limits of group decision making (majority rule) among adolescents from urban and rural China (N = 160). Study 1 revealed that adolescents from both urban and rural China judged group decision making as acceptable for both social conventional and…

This research project studied the relationship between teachers' thinking and action, specifically, teachers' implicit theories in the subfield of evaluation. Particular focus was upon the way teachers generate their theories about teaching, the structure and content of such theories, and their influence on decisions and intructional practices.…

Examines the extent to which the inability to translate decisionally relevant information into matrix form and knowledge about decision rule use act as impediments to consistent choice-making. Indicates that instruction, in decision matrix construction and decision rule application, increases students' decision making consistency. (JK)

Two studies examined abstract conditional reasoning. Findings indicated an increase in use of formal justifications with grade, and that abstract reasoning was facilitated by realistic context. Findings supported the idea that such reasoning may represent a qualitative change in reasoning abilities and that its development relies on appropriate…

Systematic cognitive development, through planned experiences in the context of course work, should be a component of teacher education programs, together with opportunities to apply that learning in practicum settings. Training in cognitive skills (analysis of error, comparison and contrast, categorization, identifying relationships among…

Human behavior is governed by assumptions and beliefs ("theory-in-use"), yet individuals commonly explain their behavior in terms of a (different) "espoused" theory. Suggests reflective practice in counseling can only be achieved by counselors identifying their own theories-in-use through critical thinking. This task also…

Describes an approach to problem solving based on real-world problems. Discusses problem analysis and definitions, preparation of briefing documents, solution finding techniques (brainstorming and synectics), solution evaluation and judgment, and implementation. (JM)

Evaluation is an act of persuasion directed to a specific audience concerning the solution of a problem. The process of evaluation is prescribed by the nature of knowledge--which is generally complex, always uncertain (in varying degrees), and not always propositional--and by the nature of logic, which is always selective. In the process of…

Students must be actively involved in the process of learning for it to have personal meaning and importance in their lives. Teachers must also become critical thinkers, creative individuals, and decision makers in order to create more challenging learning environments. Teachers need to blend structure and spontaneity into meaningful learning…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…