Improvements and future challenges for the research infrastructure in the field “Measuring cognitive ability”

The assessment of cognitive abilities is critical in large-scale survey studies that aim at elucidating the longitudinal interplay between the individual’s cognitive potential and socio-economic variables. The format of such studies calls for assessment methods which can not only be administered economically but also display a high (psychometric) measurement quality. In consideration of recent theoretical and empirical advances in intelligence research, we recommend the implementation of tests drawing on working memory in large-scale survey studies. Working memory is a limited-capacity system for temporary storage and processing of information and currently discussed to be the cognitive key system underlying intellectual abilities. Four types of working memory tests are exemplarily described and critically evaluated with regard to their psychometric quality and the need for further evaluation.cognitive abilities, intelligence, knowledge, information processing, mental speed, working memory

Improvements and future challenges for the research infrastructure in the field "Measuring cognitive ability"

The assessment of cognitive abilities is critical in large-scale survey studies that aim at elucidating the longitudinal interplay between the individual's cognitive potential and socio-economic variables. The format of such studies calls for assessment methods which can not only be administered economically but also display a high (psychometric) measurement quality. In consideration of recent theoretical and empirical advances in intelligence research, we recommend the implementation of tests drawing on working memory in large-scale survey studies. Working memory is a limited-capacity system for temporary storage and processing of information and currently discussed to be the cognitive key system underlying intellectual abilities. Four types of working memory tests are exemplarily described and critically evaluated with regard to their psychometric quality and the need for further evaluation

Are Chinese and German Children Taxonomic, Thematic, or Shape Biased? Influence of Classifiers and Cultural Contexts

This paper explores the effect of classifiers on young children's conceptual structures. For this purpose we studied Mandarin Chinese- and German-speaking 3- and 5-year-olds on non-lexical classification, novel-noun label extension, and inductive inference of novel properties. Some effect of the classifier system was found in Chinese children, but this effect was observed only in a non-lexical categorization task. In the label extension and property generalization tasks, children of the two language groups show strikingly similar behavior. The implications of the results for theories of the relation between language and thought as well as cultural influence on thought are discussed

Neuroscience and research on learning and instruction: what kind of knowledge contributes to educational outcome?

Neurowissenschaftliche Ergebnisse besitzen für sich genommen keine Bedeutung für die Gestaltung schulischer Lerngelegenheiten. Die Methoden der Hirnforschung eignen sich weder dazu, Wissensunterschiede zwischen den Lernenden aufzudecken, noch geben sie Anleitung für die Darbietung von Informationen. Ein zukünftiges Potenzial neurowissenschaftlicher Methoden liegt jedoch in der Aufdeckung von Unterschieden in der Informationsverarbeitung, die sich auf der Verhaltensebene nicht beobachten lassen. (DIPF/Orig.)Strictly speaking, results from neuroscience can neither inform educational practice nor can they tell how to design learning environments. Brain imaging methods do not allow drawing conclusions on individual differences in knowledge representation and on appropriate information presentation. However, a future potential of brain imaging is the uncovering of differences in information processing that do not become apparent in behavior. (DIPF/Orig.

Wer erklärt eigentlich was wie? Gedanken zum Disziplinendschungel in der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung

In der Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung trifft man auf einen Disziplinendschungel. Man begegnet der Allgemeinen Didaktik, der Fachdidaktik, der Lehr- und Lernforschung, der Pädagogik und der Pädagogischen Psychologie bis hin zur Neuropsychologie des Lehrens und Lernens oder der Neurodidaktik. Wir denken in diesem Kommentar darüber nach, was diese Disziplinen leisten. Aufgrund von Schwierigkeiten, die sich dabei ergeben, schlagen wir vor, Erklärungsebenen stärker in den Fokus zu rücken. Dies erlaubt es, die verschiedenen Disziplinen abzugrenzen und zu ordnen, Ansprüche an übergeordnete Disziplinen zu formulieren sowie die Koordination verschiedener Disziplinen zu thematisieren. &nbsp

Schreiben im Studiengang «Lehrdiplom für Maturitätsschulen» der ETH Zürich: Das Konzept der «Mentorierten Arbeit»

Studierende, die an der ETH Zürich das Lehrdiplom für Maturitätsschulen absolvieren, verfügen in jedem Fall bereits über einen fachlichen Studienabschluss auf Masterstufe. Aus diesem Grund ist in diesem Studiengang auch keine Abschlussarbeit mehr vorgesehen. Während des Studiums hingegen verfassen die Lehrdiplomstudierenden umfangreiche Arbeiten mit einem pädagogischen Fokus. Das Konzept dieser sogenannten «Mentorierten Arbeiten» wird im Kurzporträt vorgestellt. (DIPF/Orig.

Beliefs in “Brilliance” and Belonging Uncertainty in Male and Female STEM Students

A wide-spread stereotype that influences women’s paths into STEM (or non-STEM) fields is the implicit association of science and mathematics with “male” and with requiring high levels of male-associated “brilliance.” Recent research on such “field-specific ability beliefs” has shown that a high emphasis on brilliance in a specific field goes along with a low share of female students among its graduates. A possible mediating mechanisms between cultural expectations and stereotypes on the one hand, and women’s underrepresentation in math-intensive STEM fields on the other hand, is that women may be more likely than men to feel that they do not belong in these fields. In the present study, we investigated field-specific ability beliefs as well as belonging uncertainty in a sample of n = 1294 male and female university students from five STEM fields (Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering) at a prestigious technical university in Switzerland. Field-specific ability beliefs of both men and women emphasized brilliance more in more math-intensive fields (Mathematics, Physics) than in less math-intensive fields (Engineering). Women showed higher beliefs in brilliance than men did, and also reported higher levels of belonging uncertainty. For both genders, there was a small, positive correlation (r = 0.19) of belief in brilliance and belonging uncertainty. A relatively small, but significant portion of the effect of gender on belonging uncertainty was mediated by women’s higher belief in brilliance

Inventory for the assessment of representational competence of vector fields

Representational competence is essential for the acquisition of conceptual understanding in physics. It enables the interpretation of diagrams, graphs, and mathematical equations, and relating these to one another as well as to observations and experimental outcomes. In this study, we present the initial validation of a newly developed cross-contextual assessment of students’ competence in representing vector-field plots and field lines, the most common visualization of the concept of vector fields. The Representational Competence of Fields Inventory (RCFI) consists of ten single choice items and two items that each contain three true or false questions. The tool can be easily implemented within an online assessment. It assesses the understanding of the conventions of interpreting field lines and vector-field plots, as well as the translation between these. The intended use of the tool is both to scale students’ representational competences in respect to representations of vector fields and to reveal related misconceptions (areas of difficulty). The tool was administered at three German-speaking universities in Switzerland and Germany to a total of 515 first- and third-semester students from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. In these first steps of the validation of the RCFI, we evaluated its psychometric quality via classical test theory in combination with Rasch scaling and examined its construct validity by conducting student interviews. The RCFI exhibits a good internal consistency of ω ¼ 0.86, and the results of the Rasch analysis revealed that the items discriminate well among students from lower to medium-high competence levels. The RCFI revealed several misunderstandings and shortcomings, such as the confusion of the conventions for representing field lines and vector-field plots. Moreover, it showed that many students believed that field lines must not exhibit a curvature, that the lengths of field lines matter, and that field lines may have sharp corners. In its current version, the RCFI allows assessing students’ competence to interpret field representations, a necessary prerequisite for learning the widespread concept of vector fields. We report on planned future adaptations of the tool, such as optimizing some of the current distractors

Proceedings of KogWis 2012. 11th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society

The German cognitive science conference is an interdisciplinary event where researchers from different disciplines -- mainly from artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and anthropology -- and application areas -- such as eduction, clinical psychology, and human-machine interaction -- bring together different theoretical and methodological perspectives to study the mind. The 11th Biannual Conference of the German Cognitive Science Society took place from September 30 to October 3 2012 at Otto-Friedrich-Universität in Bamberg. The proceedings cover all contributions to this conference, that is, five invited talks, seven invited symposia and two symposia, a satellite symposium, a doctoral symposium, three tutorials, 46 abstracts of talks and 23 poster abstracts