Most studies on spatial memory refer to the horizontal plane, leaving an open question as to whether findings generalize to vertical spaces where gravity and the visual upright of our surrounding space are salient orientation cues. In three experiments, we examined which reference frame is used to organize memory for vertical locations: the one…

Kappan's editor talks with Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, a leader in the international movement to translate findings from neuroscience into usable knowledge for educators. Topics include neuromyths (common, but erroneous, beliefs about how the brain works), the current scientific consensus about how people learn, and the contributions that the…

English is an indispensable language, especially in the digital age. For students who are not specialized in English vocabulary, understanding effective vocabulary learning strategies becomes crucial, helps increase their chances of being hired, and improves coherence in written and spoken communication. This study investigates the vocabulary…

Since the beginning of the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs), these and other online learning environments have been considered as potential partial solutions to some persistent problems in higher education. These learning environments, while they have great educational value, have not been as effective as they could be, because…

In this paper, MTL, an approach for visualization-based pedagogy, is analyzed and contextualized in both Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Dual Coding Theory (DCT). Through MTL, lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions and individual study in learning and teaching programming are all carried out using two cognitive channels; verbal and non-verbal.…

There is widespread belief in the legal system that alcohol impairs witness testimony. Nevertheless, most laboratory studies examining the effects of alcohol on witness testimony suggest that alcohol may affect the number of correct but not incorrect details recalled. However, it is difficult to draw conclusions because sample sizes, testing…

On forced-choice tests of recognition memory, performance is best when targets are paired with novel foils (A-X), followed by corresponding lures (A-A'), and then noncorresponding lures (A-B'). The current study tested the prediction that encoding variability accounts for reduced performance on A-B' trials. Young adults (n = 43) completed the…

Thinking is a common process. Cognitive ability includes knowledge, memory and metacognition. Knowledge requires memory. These two are inextricably linked. Parents and teachers need to encourage children to take an active role in their learning and show them how to use what they know to the best advantage. Cognition is primarily a mental process.…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the cognitive processes involved in answering survey questions. It also briefly discusses how the cognitive viewpoint has been challenged by other approaches (such as conversational analysis). Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the major components of the response process and summarizes work…

Two broad approaches characterize the type of evidence that mediates recognition memory: discrete state and continuous. Discrete-state models posit a thresholded memory process that provides accurate information about an item (it is detected) or, failing that, no mnemonic information about the item. Continuous models, in contrast, posit the…

How to improve our episodic memory is an important issue in the field of memory. In the present study, we used a discriminative learning paradigm that was similar to a paradigm used in animal studies. In Experiment 1, a picture (e.g., a dog) was either paired with an identical picture, with a similar picture of the same concept (e.g., another…

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a set of competencies to process, understand, and reason with affective information. Recent studies suggest ability measures of experiential and strategic EI differentially predict performance on non-emotional and emotionally laden tasks. To explore cognitive processes underlying these abilities further, we…

There has been considerable focus on investigating age-related memory changes in cognitively healthy older adults, in the absence of neurodegenerative disorders. Previous studies have reported age-related domain-specific changes in older adults, showing increased difficulty encoding and processing object information but minimal to no impairment in…

Cognitive control describes the ability to use internal goals to strategically guide how we process and respond to our environment. Changes in the environment lead to adaptation in control strategies. This type of control learning can be observed in performance adjustments in response to varying proportions of easy to hard trials over blocks of…

This study first examined the factors that enhance learning effectiveness and student satisfaction when an interactive response system (IRS) is introduced to a financial planning course. Second, we examined the influence of the initial experience of using an IRS on subsequent learning results. A total of 217 financial practitioners participated in…