ERIC Number: EJ1046022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0211-2159
EISSN: N/A
Intuitive Physics of Free Fall: An Information Integration Approach to the Mass-Speed Belief
Vicovaro, Michele
Psicologica: International Journal of Methodology and Experimental Psychology, v35 n3 p463-477 2014
In this study, the intuitive physics of free fall was explored using Information Integration Theory and Functional Measurement. The participants had to rate the speed of objects differing in mass and height of release at the end of an imagined free fall. According to physics, falling speed increases with height of release but it is substantially independent of mass. The results reveal that the participants hold a strong mass-speed belief, i.e., they believe that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones. Mass and height of release are integrated according to a multiplicative rule. The results are interpreted as providing support to the hypothesis of the perceptual-motor origin of the mass-speed belief. Implications of the results for physics education are discussed.
Descriptors: Physics, Intuition, Scientific Concepts, Beliefs, Perceptual Motor Learning, Theories, Measurement, Science Education, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, College Students, Psychology, Vision, Visual Stimuli, Questionnaires
University of Valencia. Dept. Metodologia, Facultad de Psicologia, Avda. Blasco Ibanez 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain. Tel: +34-96-386-4100; Web site: http://www.uv.es/revispsi/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A