Introduction to Cognitive Psychology - Department of Psychological ...

Prof. Greg Francis 8/14/12Learning stylesUnfortunately, there is absolutely no evidence that reported learning stylepreference has anything to do with learningPashler et al. (2009) observed that to demonstrate evidence that learningstyle influenced learning, you have to show a particular kind of interactionof effectLearning stylesPashler et al. (2009) then reviewed hundreds of studies purporting to showevidence for learning styles, but only ever found effects like theseBut these only indicate an advantage for a type of learning or a methodPurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityWhy is the idea popular?Learning stylesIt fits with the American ideal of everyone beingcapable of learning if given the chance (no childleft behind)It allows parents (and students) to blame theeducational system for failure rather than lack ofmotivation or abilityIt lends itself well to statistical quirks of findingjust the right method for a given studentIts a generalization of the experience that agiven student benefits from a new explanation ofmaterialPurdue UniversityConclusionsLots of ways to improve memory Encoding specificity level of processing Judgments of Learning method of loci Sleep Practice testing Learning stylesPurdue UniversityNext timeMental representationPrototypesExemplarsPropositionsCogLab on Prototypes due!What is a shoe?Purdue UniversityPSY 200: Intro. to Cognitive Psychology 5