Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Education
The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt
The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt
Theses : Honours
Investigation into the influence of contextual information on performance of an automatic task has found inconsistent results. The majority of studies have investigated whether changing the context of a simple cognitive task can inhibit an automatic response, but do not review whether context can help the development of automatic responding. The current study examined whether bringing awareness to the context of a simple numerosity task could aid the development of automaticity. It also examined whether participants were aware of when automaticity developed for them via a post-test interview. The numerosity task used in this study was a simple counting task …
Determining The Point Of Optimum Transferability Of Skill, Amanda Puchar
Determining The Point Of Optimum Transferability Of Skill, Amanda Puchar
Theses : Honours
Cognitive research assumes that practice on a task can lead to improved performance, most often resulting in the attainment of automatic performance and possibly the transfer of this learning to another task. This study examined all of these questions through the use of a computer generated counting task that required participants, consisting of 60 randomly selected university students and friends and family of the researcher, to count stars on a display screen and determine if the number of stars presented was an odd or even number. Coefficient of variation (CV) measures that calculated the variability for a given level of …
Automaticity As A Predictor Of Skill Transfer, Jana Melis
Automaticity As A Predictor Of Skill Transfer, Jana Melis
Theses : Honours
Research into the effect of automaticity on skill transfer has resulted in conflicting conclusions about how automatic processes act on the transferability of skill. The research in this study was designed to investigate the existence and nature of the relationship between automaticity in skill acquisition and the ability to transfer that skill to a different task. Using a quantitative research design, a simple counting exercise was used to train participants in a skill, with the amount of training manipulated between groups. Accuracy rates and reaction times were recorded and analysed to determine the variance within and between the groups between …
Skill Acquisition And Transfer To Contextually Different Tasks: Complete, Partial Or Zero Transfer?, Lois E. Johnson
Skill Acquisition And Transfer To Contextually Different Tasks: Complete, Partial Or Zero Transfer?, Lois E. Johnson
Theses : Honours
There are differing opinions as to whether skills learned in one situation can be transferred and used in new situations. Anderson's (1982, 1993) Adaptive Control of Thought theory states that complete transfer of skills from one situation to another will occur when the processes used in training are the same as those required in transfer. Logan's (1988) Instance theory posits that complete transfer will occur only if the problems used in training are identical to those used in transfer, and that partial transfer should not occur in any transfer situation. However research by Speelman and Kirsner (2001), and Speelman, Forbes …
Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh
Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh
Theses : Honours
Speelman's (\999) finding that performance of a skill is based to some extent on the conter.t in which it is performed, rather than simply on the acquired skill itself, is not accounted for by the basic skill acquisition theories like ACT -R Theory or Instance Theory. The purpose of the current experiment was to examine whether the degree of change in context influences the degree of reduction in transfer. Forty participants were trained on an algebraic task and then tested in two different transfer conditions. Condition one included one new item and condition two included two new items in the …
Effect Of The Specificity Of Training Delivery On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Suzanne Mary Matthews
Effect Of The Specificity Of Training Delivery On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Suzanne Mary Matthews
Theses : Honours
Past research (e.g., Brewer, 1998) has shown that when people learn to solve simple formulae where elements are repeated over and over again, the greater the degree of repetition, the less transferable the skill. The current study tested one explanation for this observation; that training conditions involving little stimulus variation encourage the development of specific skills with low transferability. These habit-encouraging conditions were compared with a habit-breaking manipulation that involved presentation of unfamiliar stimuli throughout training. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups, the habit-encouraging and habit-breaking groups. The groups had 22 and 20 participants respectively. Participants were …
The Effects Of Sleep On The Acquisition Of Skill, Peter G. Croy
The Effects Of Sleep On The Acquisition Of Skill, Peter G. Croy
Theses : Honours
The current research was designed to evaluate the effect of sleep on memory for the declarative and procedural knowledge components of a cognitive skill. In a training phase, 17 participants in a no-sleep control group practised 120 repetitions of a simple algebra equation at Sam and 22 participants in a sleep group practised the task at 8pm. Novel task inputs were introduced withh1 the same task structure in a transfer phase conducted 12 hours after training for each group. Overnight sleep conferred a 29% performance deficit on the transfer tusk compared to no-sleep controls. The results support the hypothesis that …
The Effects Of Conceptual Change On The Transfer Of Established Skills, John Forbes
The Effects Of Conceptual Change On The Transfer Of Established Skills, John Forbes
Theses : Honours
When people practice a task, their performance in terms of speed and accuracy normally improves in a smooth manner that follows a power function. The consistency with which the performance of a wide range of skills conforms to this power function relationship is known as the Power Law of Learning, and has been an important assumption of many of the dominant theories of skill acquisition and transfer. As such, the form of the power function that is derived from the training process has been used to predict performance when task conditions remain constant. However, Speelman and Kirsner (under review) have …
The Specificity Of Skill Acquisition: Is It Task Related?, Dawn Darlaston-Jones
The Specificity Of Skill Acquisition: Is It Task Related?, Dawn Darlaston-Jones
Theses : Honours
The plethora of research into the area of skill acquisition and transfer has resulted in conflicting conclusions regarding the nature of transfer. Some researchers have found skill transfer to be specific to the items experienced during training (Logan, I 988, alphabet-arithmetic task; Masson, 1986, reverse reading task). Others have found transfer to be general (Speelman & Kirsner, I 997, syllogism task) or both general and specific in the same task (Greig & Speelman, 1999, algebra task). This study investigated the assumption that the task involved dictates the specific nature of skill acquisition and transfer. Sixty participants drawn from the Edith …
Conceptions Of Learning Held By Students In The Lower, Middle And Upper Grades Of Primary School, Carole Noelle Steketee
Conceptions Of Learning Held By Students In The Lower, Middle And Upper Grades Of Primary School, Carole Noelle Steketee
Theses : Honours
Conceptions of learning are the fundamental beliefs and ideas people hold about their own learning. To a large extent, these understandings determine the way in which learning tasks are tackled and, ultimately, the outcome of learning experiences. Using a phenomenographic approach, this study explored the conceptions of teaming held by six students in the lower, middle and upper grades of primary school. Data collected from a series of individual in-depth interviews resulted in the identification of six distinctly different conceptions of learning. At the most basic level, the students articulated their understanding of learning in a very general sense. This …
The Effect Of Metacognition On Learning Outcomes For Tertiary Level Computing Students, Susan Hastings
The Effect Of Metacognition On Learning Outcomes For Tertiary Level Computing Students, Susan Hastings
Theses : Honours
The Technical and Further Education system Australia-wide is in a state of change. There is a push to become more cost effective and to have courses that closely relate to the demands of the work place. As part of the change, courses at TAFE are increasingly being based on a competency-based system, with students being responsible for their own learning. This entails the use of course materials by students which allow them to work at their own pace. There is a perception by educators that this method of learning may suit some students, but that the majority require a more …
Sex-Related Differences In Autonomous Learning Behaviours And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Beahan
Sex-Related Differences In Autonomous Learning Behaviours And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Beahan
Theses : Honours
The autonomous learning behaviour model proposed by Fennema and Peterson (1985a, 1985b) hypothesises that sex- related differences in mathematics are a result of sex-related differences in autonomous learning behaviours. Autonomous learning behaviours include choosing to engage in high-level tasks, preferring to work independently on such tasks and persisting at them. The purpose of this study was to investigate sex-related differences in autonomous learning behaviours and to determine any relationship between the presence of these behaviours and achievement in mathematics. Twelve students studying the Year 1 unit "Foundations of Mathematics" were selected for the study, including two males and two females …