Cognitive load theory: New conceptualizations, specifications, and integrated research perspectives

Over the last few years, cognitive load theory has progressed and advanced rapidly. The articles in this special issue, which document those advances, are based on contributions to the 3rd International Cognitive Load Theory Conference (2009), Heerlen, The Netherlands. The articles of this special issue on cognitive load theory discuss new conceptualizations of the different categories of cognitive load, an integrated research perspective of process-oriented and cognitive load approaches to collaborative learning, an integrated research perspective of cognitive and social-cognitive approaches to example-based learning, and a specification of the theory focusing on the acquisition of generalized knowledge structures as a means to facilitate flexible problem-solving skills. This article provides a short introduction to the theory, discusses some of its recent advances, and provides an overview of the contributions to this issue

Cognitive Load Theory: Advances in Research on Worked Examples, Animations, and Cognitive Load Measurement

The contributions to this special issue document some recent advances of cognitive load theory, and are based on contributions to the Third International Cognitive Load Theory Conference (2009), Heerlen, The Netherlands. The contributions focus on developments in example-based learning, amongst others on the effects of integrating worked examples in cognitive tutoring systems; specify the effects of transience on cognitive load and why segmentation may help counteract these effects in terms of the role of time in working memory load; and discuss the possibilities offered by electroencephalography (EEG) to provide a continuous and objective measure of cognitive load. This article provides a short introduction to the contributions in this issue

The Role of Associative Learning in Current Paradigm Shifts in Eating Disorder Research and Clinical Practice

This editorial is an introduction to the Special Issue “Psychopathological analysis and intervention for anorexia nervosa: using associative-learning mechanisms”. Although learning theory was once the theoretical framework of choice for behavioural scientists interested in mental disorders, in recent decades, learning has been assumed rather than investigated in clinical research and practice [1]. With the return of the cognitive revolution, modern associative learning theory has expanded the behaviourist model to suggest more powerful mechanisms. In particular, changes in behaviour are now explained in terms of internal processes by which the mental representation of one event (i.e., a stimulus or response) becomes linked to another in memory through experience. Interestingly, such associative processes have been observed in the development and regulation of habitual eating, including our likes and dislikes, choosing foods most appropriate to our current motivational state, and controlling how much is eaten [2–4]. Regarding disordered eating behaviour, modern associative learning theory also enables a deeper understanding of the psychological processes of abnormal behaviour, as well as promoting clinically effective empirically supported psychological interventions (e.g., see [5,6]). In this sense, associative processes are now considered among the best candidates to produce reliable findings for translation into advanced research and, consequently, better treatments for eating disorders (EDs). Likewise, it is reasonable to expect that, in the coming years, there will be a rise in the number of papers focused on EDs and associative learning mechanisms. Moreover, associative learning theory must play an important role in the current paradigm shifts within the psychopathology of EDs. These paradigm shifts include the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, precision medicine, experimental psychopathology and cognitive-behavioural psychopharmacology. Herein is an overview of these paradigm shifts in EDs (particularly anorexia nervosa) and the potential benefits of considering associative learning theory, followed by a brief explanation of how the studies in this Special Issue could advance the field.European Commission UGR Research and Knowledge Transfer Found-Athenea3i 75444

Synthesizing cognitive load and self-regulation theory: a theoretical framework and research agenda

An exponential increase in the availability of information over the last two decades has asked for novel theoretical frameworks to examine how students optimally learn under these new learning conditions, given the limitations of human processing ability. In this special issue and in the current editorial introduction, we argue that such a novel theoretical framework should integrate (aspects of) cognitive load theory and selfregulated learning theory. We describe the effort monitoring and regulation (EMR) framework, which outlines how monitoring and regulation of effort are neglected but essential aspects of self-regulated learning. Moreover, the EMR framework emphasizes the importance of optimizing cognitive load during self-regulated learning by reducing the unnecessary load on the primary task or distributing load optimally between the primary learning task and metacognitive aspects of the learning task. Three directions for future research that derive from the EMR framework and that are discussed in this editorial introduction are: (1) How do students monitor effort? (2) How do students regulate effort? and (3) How do we optimize cognitive load during self-regulated learning tasks (during and after the primary task)? Finally, the contributions to the current special issue are introduced

Introduction: Theorizing Lived Religion

The introduction to this special issue describes the emergence of the lived religion approach in relation to other approaches within the study of religion and sociology of religion as a way of going beyond the emphasis on texts and institutions, on the one hand, and the focus on the fate of religion in modern times, on the other hand. It also introduces the aim of this special issue, namely ‘theorizing’ lived religion. To do this, the authors summarize how the founders of this approach have conceptualized the topic of ‘lived religion’, adjacent approaches, and the theoretical underpinnings of their work. The authors propose three directions to develop the contribution a lived religion approach might make to theorizing: 1) explicating what is meant by ‘religion’ by drawing on work that studies religion as a category; 2) explicating how concepts and theories are developed based on lived religion research, with particular emphasis on the way tensions between modernist, disenchanting epistemologies and the enchanted, supernatural worlds of practitioners may inform theory and methodological reflection; 3) anchoring the doing of research, emphasizing the full research cycle in religious studies programs so that students have a solid basis for learning how to move back and forth between carrying out original research and conceptual/theoretical work

Opór jako fenomen interdyscyplinarny – inspiracje dla pedagogiki specjalnej

Beata Gumienny, Opór jako fenomen interdyscyplinarny – inspiracje dla pedagogiki specjalnej [Resistance as an interdisciplinary phenomenon – inspiration for special education]. Interdyscyplinarne Konteksty Pedagogiki Specjalnej, nr 22, Poznań 2018. Pp. 239-258. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. ISSN 2300-391X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/ikps.2018.22.14 The article is concerned with the issue of resistance, with particular focus on the philosophical, sociological, psychological and educational adumbration. The interdisciplinary notion of the resistance phoneme constitutes a contribution to its introduction to the special education area, to the world of persons with disabilities. Moreover, attention was drawn to the learning environment as a place triggering the students’ resistance to the school system and authority. The undertaken considerations have been located in the critical theory, defining the stance on authoritarianism, injustice, emancipation or liberation, and especially on stigmatization, marginalization and exclusion.Beata Gumienny, Opór jako fenomen interdyscyplinarny – inspiracje dla pedagogiki specjalnej [Resistance as an interdisciplinary phenomenon – inspiration for special education]. Interdyscyplinarne Konteksty Pedagogiki Specjalnej, nr 22, Poznań 2018. Pp. 239-258. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. ISSN 2300-391X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/ikps.2018.22.14 The article is concerned with the issue of resistance, with particular focus on the philosophical, sociological, psychological and educational adumbration. The interdisciplinary notion of the resistance phoneme constitutes a contribution to its introduction to the special education area, to the world of persons with disabilities. Moreover, attention was drawn to the learning environment as a place triggering the students’ resistance to the school system and authority. The undertaken considerations have been located in the critical theory, defining the stance on authoritarianism, injustice, emancipation or liberation, and especially on stigmatization, marginalization and exclusion

Big Data in Psychology: Introduction to the Special Issue

The introduction to this special issue on psychological research involving big data summarizes the highlights of 10 articles that address a number of important and inspiring perspectives, issues, and applications. Four common themes that emerge in the articles with respect to psychological research conducted in the area of big data are mentioned, including: 1. The benefits of collaboration across disciplines, such as those in the social sciences, applied statistics, and computer science. Doing so assists in grounding big data research in sound theory and practice, as well as in affording effective data retrieval and analysis. 2. Availability of large datasets on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites that provide a psychological window into the attitudes and behaviors of a broad spectrum of the population. 3. Identifying, addressing, and being sensitive to ethical considerations when analyzing large datasets gained from public or private sources. 4. The unavoidable necessity of validating predictive models in big data by applying a model developed on one dataset to a separate set of data or hold-out sample. Translational abstracts that summarize the articles in very clear and understandable terms are included in Appendix A, and a glossary of terms relevant to big data research discussed in the articles is presented in Appendix B. Keywords: big data, machine learning, statistical learning theory, social media data, digital footprint, decision trees and forests

Introduction: Investigating Written Dyadic Interaction through a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

Since its inception in the late 1960’s, the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has undergone many transformations. As pre-existing theories have been expanded upon and new theories introduced, researchers and practitioners have come to a deeper understanding of the second language (L2) learning process. The past two decades, in particular, have seen a shift in the way that L2 learning is conceived. Ever since Diane Larsen-Freeman published her seminal article on complex systems and L2 development (Larsen-Freeman, 1997), the theory known as Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) has brought a new orientation into SLA discourse. Since then, researchers have transferred their attention from acquisition to development, linearity to nonlinearity, and stability to variability. It is this shift that provides the impetus for this special issue of the Teachers College Working Papers in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. In this issue, four studies apply CDST concepts and various methods of data analysis to a single, naturalistic dataset, which consists of an asynchronous, dyadic written e-mail interaction between a native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) of English. The findings within the different studies are varied and together provide a complex, yet not entirely complete, view of intercultural interaction and developing interlanguage as dynamic systems. This introduction will provide some historical background for CDST, followed by a discussion of the characteristics of dynamic systems. Prior empirical research within the CDST framework will also be discussed. Finally, the context of the special issue will be described in more detail along with a brief summary of the four studies that comprise this special issue

Statistical SVMs for robust detection, supervised learning, and universal classification

The support vector machine (SVM) has emerged as one of the most popular approaches to classification and supervised learning. It is a flexible approach for solving the problems posed in these areas, but the approach is not easily adapted to noisy data in which absolute discrimination is not possible. We address this issue in this paper by returning to the statistical setting. The main contribution is the introduction of a statistical support vector machine (SSVM) that captures all of the desirable features of the SVM, along with desirable statistical features of the classical likelihood ratio test. In particular, we establish the following: (i) The SSVM can be designed so that it forms a continuous function of the data, yet also approximates the potentially discontinuous log likelihood ratio test. (ii) Extension to universal detection is developed, in which only one hypothesis is labeled (a semi-supervised learning problem). (iii) The SSVM generalizes the robust hypothesis testing problem based on a moment class. Motivation for the approach and analysis are each based on ideas from information theory. A detailed performance analysis is provided in the special case of i.i.d. observations. This research was partially supported by NSF under grant CCF 07-29031, by UTRC, Motorola, and by the DARPA ITMANET program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF, UTRC, Motorola, or DARPA. I

A tudás megszerzésének módja a munkahelyen - a munkahelyi tanulás speciális esetei Hajdú-Bihar megyében

According to the results of recent studies, learning at the workplace is gaining more and more importance in the life of organisations. In the process of the professional and competence based development the most dominant way of education is the organised trainings outside the institution. Furthermore, there is an increasing number of significant companies which do have a special education policy. On the basis of international and national studies it can be stated that the study of the learning at workplace has become the centre of attention in the past 10 years. The majority of the Hungarian researches considered workplace education as part of adult education, and based it on pedagogical points. In the past 5 years the published anaylises have aimed at revealing the education policies of the companies as well as their connection to economical processes. The issue of learning at work has been reconsidered as a result of the widespreading theory of lifelong learning. The study directs attention to the introduction of the theoretical background as well as to the new approaches from the practice of learning at work, by analysing the training policies and practices of two significant companies