Ss practiced mental arithmetic tasks that were consistent or varied at two levels: the sequence of operations and the data for those operations. Experiment 1 demonstrated separable benefits of sequence-and data-level consistency. In Experiment 2, sequence and data consistency varied within subjects, and the sequence of operations did not match the goal structure. Final performance benefited from consistent data but not from consistent sequence. In Experiment 3, sequence consistency varied between subjects. Sequence and data consistency had separable benefits. The results indicate that Ss learn by restructuring given consistent data, but performing operations in consistent sequence improves performance without restructuring.
Guidance can help learners overcome the difficulties of getting started in a novel domain, but it is often ineffective in promoting learning and transfer. This article examines two aspects of guidance--communicating solution strategies for a problem domain and providing working memory support--in learning a novel problem-solving skill. Subjects in two experiments learned to troubleshoot simulated information networks. The learning environment varied in type of guidance provided--none, variable template, fixed template, and procedural instruction--and in availability of memory aiding. Variable-template guidance was effective when memory aiding was provided, and procedural instructions produced effective learning with or without memory aiding. However, fixed-template guidance was not effective, and there was no consistent effect of memory aiding in unguided, discovery learning conditions. The results have theoretical implications for the locus of guided-learning effects and suggest practical guidelines for the design of guided-learning environments.
speedup on the whole algorithm. Charness and Campbell attributed the remainder to compilation resulting in more efficient memory management and more efficient access to subsequent steps in the procedure.Clearly, some improvement in performing a series of steps can be due to a speedup in the components that make up the series. However, this cannot account for all of the improvement. Practicing a sequence of operations results in increased fluency even when the component skills are well learned (Carlson, Sullivan, & Schneider, 1989). This improvement is due to practicing a series of steps as a sequence, and this improvement is termed sequence learning.
In two experiments we examined the effects of single- and dual-task training on the acquisition and transfer of dual-task skill. Subjects performed two consistently mapped (CM) visual search tasks (word-category search and spatial-pattern search). Experiment 1 demonstrated benefits in both reaction time and accuracy for dual-task practice over comparable single-task practice when the two search tasks were combined. Experiment 2 examined the effects of task timing under single-task, synchronous dual-task, and asynchronous dual-task conditions. Benefits similar to those found in the first experiment were obtained. These results suggest that dual-task training can be more effective than single-task training when two dissimilar CM search tasks need to be performed together.
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