Previous experiments have shown a deleterious effect of visual representations on college students' ability to solve total- and joint-probability word problems. The present experiments used conditional-probability problems, known to be more difficult than total- and joint-probability problems. The diagram group was instructed in how to use…

We investigated young children's construal of pain in relation to (a) the self, (b) other humans, and (c) animals, plants, and objects, to elucidate children's cognitive understanding of this complex, abstract, subjective concept. We interviewed 17 Kindergarten students using a variety of non-painful stimuli and procedures to prompt…

Despite the general effectiveness of multimedia instruction, students do not always benefit from it. This study examined whether students' learning from multimedia can be improved by teaching them relevant learning strategies. On the basis of current theories and research on multimedia learning, the authors developed a strategy training for…

This study explored the effectiveness of external representations presented together with compare word problems, and whether such effectiveness was moderated by working memory. Participants were 49 secondary school students. Each participant solved 48 problems presented in 4 presentation types that included 2 difficulty treatments (number of steps…

Although test scores from similar tests in multiple choice and constructed response formats are highly correlated, equivalence in rankings may mask differences in substantive strategy use. The author used an experimental design and participant think-alouds to explore cognitive processes in mathematical problem solving among undergraduate examinees…

Worked examples, commonly used in technical domains, are rarely used in language areas such as English literature. In 3 experiments, Korean university students for whom English was a foreign language received worked examples intended to facilitate problem solving in the ill-structured domain of English literature. During the learning phase, half…

The authors examined the relationships among achievement motives, emotional regulation, and emotions. They collected data from 425 college undergraduates (110 men, 315 women) and used several scales, including the Achievement Motives Scales (K. Hagtvet & L. Zou, 2000), the Emotional Regulation During Testing Scale (P. A. Schutz, C. DiStefano, J.…

The authors build on literature related to the development of epistemic cognition, research on historical thinking, and studies of individuals' epistemic beliefs. They designed this study to explore, develop, and test a measure of epistemic cognition in history. They administered the Beliefs about Learning and Teaching History Questionnaire to…

The authors investigated the comparative effect of the learning cycle and expository instruction on 8th-grade students' achievement in genetics. They adopted the nonequivalent control group design as a type of quasiexperimental design. The experimental group (N = 104) received learning cycle instruction, and the control group (N = 109) received…

The literature on metacognition suggests that having students practice metacognitive monitoring consistently should lead to significant improvement over time. In this study, students practiced metacognitive monitoring through the course of a full semester. The authors then examined changes in monitoring accuracy, judgment bias, and their…

The authors explored 294 college students' reactions to a professor's request for a meeting as a function of the clarity of the request and students' attachment style. Students were randomly assigned to read 1 of 2 notes written by a professor--" Please see me" or "I would like to help you understand this material. Please see me." Data collected…

Explored the contributions of subject matter knowledge, strategic processing, and interest to college students' educational psychology learning. In general, results for 77 undergraduates uphold the predictions of the model of domain learning (P. Alexander, 1997). Students' subject-matter knowledge, strategic processing, interest, and interactive…

Used the structural equation model approach to test a model hypothesizing the influence of parental involvement on students' academic aptitudes, self-concept, and causal attributions, as well as the influence of these variables on academic achievement. Results for 261 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years suggest that cognitive-affective variables are…

Studied the relationship between knowledge of cognition and regulation of cognition and how they interact to mediate the effects of social cues on confidence judgments using a sample of 77 Japanese undergraduates. Discusses the ways in which social cues affected confidence judgments as a function of regulatory ability. (SLD)

Studied attentional effects of animation on the processing of information from node-link maps and text by randomly assigning 40 college students to static node-link map presentation, 40 to animated node-link presentation, 29 to static text presentation, and 27 to animated text presentation. Participants recalled more main-idea information from…