Three strategies for selecting number of instances needed to learn legal concepts were compared. An adaptive strategy required 25 percent less time and resulted in better post test performance than a partially adaptive strategy. The partially adaptive strategy was 16 percent more efficient than the nonadaptive strategy, and resulted in better…

The strategy variables investigated were: 1) sequence, a presentation of instances according to a defined relationship of the stimuli--organized versus random; and 2) analytical explanation, a verbal statement presented with each instance which analyzed the presence or absence of the critical attributes. Concept learning implications were…

Design strategies directly related to the development of instructional materials for rule learning were investigated. Findings indicated: 1) the degree of divergence between instances showed that contrasting, not matching, features resulted in better performance; and 2) two contextually similar rules learned simultaneously, not successfully,…

Two computer-based instructional design strategies were investigated to improve the two-phase process of concept learning by being response sensitive to error patterns. The first strategy determined the format of examples by adaptive or fixed selection; the second strategy adjusted the selection according to rules of generalization and…

This study focused on the transition in memory between conceptual knowledge formation and procedural knowledge development. The first variable--display time interval--controlled the amount of instructional display time of each interrogatory example; the second variable--content sequence--sequenced examples according to response-sensitive decision…

For ninth graders studying three biological concepts via computer-based instruction, decreasing display time of interrogatory examples for incorrect answers and increasing display time for correct answers was the best procedure for two-stage concept learning. Information processing theory and instructional display time as an adaptive design…

Results from the data analysis show that children learn mathematical concepts for clear cases, and that an analysis of attributes common to examples of a given concept is not a prerequisite to concept formation. The protocol findings provide information as to why this may be happening. (Author/PN)

The proposition was investigated that concept learning is a twofold process: acquisition of a prototype and development of generalization and discrimination skills. The assumption that formative evaluation procedures are necessary when attempting to prepare better instructional treatments for improved student performance was tested. (Author/GK)

Computer-based adaptive instructional strategies for concept learning were investigated. Selection of the number of examples according to on-task information was more efficient than pretask or pretask plus on-task information. A response-sensitive strategy was preferable to a response-insensitive strategy to determine the presentation order of…

Results indicated that negative instances were an integral part of concept acquisiton. The relationship between the positive and negative instances was based upon similarity of irrelevant attributes and sentence difficulty. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to investigate an alternative approach to the aptitude-treatment-interaction method of adapting instruction to individual differences. (Author)

For college students learning concepts, the advisement condition resulted in better performance than the learner control condition and needed less instructional time than the adaptive control condition. Results also indicated that students given concepts simultaneously performed better and needed less instruction than those who received concepts…