The relationships of task complexity, necessary information types, information channels and sources are analyzed at the task level on the basis of a qualitative investigation. Data were collected in a public administration setting, and the findings indicate systematic and logical relationships among the factors analyzed. (54 references)…

Describes results from two independent investigations of college students that were conducted to study the impact of differences in users' cognition and search tasks on Web search activities and outcomes. Topics include cognitive style; problem-solving; and implications for the design and use of the Web and Web search engines. (Author/LRW)

Development in the ability of 11-year-olds to solve numerical problems of addition, multiplication, and proportion was analysed by means of three Rasch models of change. The students, who had participated in a New Zealand numeracy project in 2002, comprised two groups that differed in socio-economic status: 1,274 students came from low…

This paper discusses two related areas in which recent advancements in cognitive science and educational technology may affect instructional design theory. These are: (1) the analysis of information-to-be-learned; and (2) the linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The first area proposes extensions to current methods of…

Presents a 3-dimensional conceptual framework for measuring clinical competence: problem-solving process, clinical discipline, and context of care. The intersection of the dimensions defines the clinical practice domain to be measured. For each domain specific problems can be identified and clinicians asked to demonstrate competence in resolving…

Children's performance on multidimensional classification tasks was examined in two experiments. In Experiment 1, preschool, first-, and third-grade children were shown a standard stimulus and were then asked to judge whether several comparison stimuli were the same as or different from the standard. Comparison stimuli differed from the standard…

Five studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between short term memory (STM) and long term memory (LTM), and the relationship between STM and problem solving. In study I, the necessity of postulating separate learning processes for tasks which are traditionally classified as STM tasks as opposed to LTM tasks was investigated.…

The bibliography was compiled in response to requests for background information about the critical incident technique; references were provided by those interested in the technique. Graduate students searching for guidance on the technique should find it useful, as should researchers. The critical incident technique is a method of research…

An approach for developing examinations to assess the proficiency of health care professionals which utilizes a task inventory methodology is described. Examination development is based upon the identification of health care functions which individuals within a specific category of health professional should be skilled in performing. The several…

Thirty six senior students in chemical engineering were randomly assigned to three treatment groups in an experimental study that examined the impact of different instructional strategies for troubleshooting malfunctions in a computer-based simulation of a chemical processing plant. In two groups, different types of worked examples,…

This study examined the effects of task structure on fifth- and sixth-grade students' information seeking on the Internet. Results indicated that children prefer browsing to analytic-based searching. They have difficulty finding relevant information on the Internet; however, they searched more effectively on the ill-defined task than on the…

Two experiments related structure of a task to underlying cognitive mechanisms. Found that 3-year olds were no better at predicting behavior from partially true beliefs than from entirely false beliefs. Three- and 4-year olds, and autistic children had distinct performance profiles across tasks. Concluded that conceptual foundations for a…

Analyzes certain features of work tasks and relates these features to types of information people are looking for and using in their tasks, patterning of search strategies for obtaining information and relevance assessments in choosing retrieved documents. The major claim is that these information activities are systematically connected to task…

Problem solving as a skill is emphasized within the revised Japanese Course of Study for schools. This experimental study, conducted among Japanese high school students, evaluates an effort to develop student ability to identify reasons for "different" points of view, not just personally favored views. First, the ability of all students…

Presents a set of writing assignments and class activities for helping students to define their own writing problems, set their own goals, and evaluate their own progress. (RL)