Posts Tagged ‘cognitive science’

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Cognitive Science Application in Designing Artifacts Thursday, August 12th, 2010

An artifact is any thing made by humans, usually for some use. Such useful artifacts have the basic purpose of being fit for the intended use.

Artifacts can go beyond this basic purpose. It can be designed to influence how we think and feel. For example, an ordinary drinking cup, if made using ornamental design using shapes and patterns which evoke specific mental images, can do more than hold the drink.

Cognitive science that studies mind and behavior can help us in designing artifacts that create desired mental and behavioral responses. If you know what stimuli create specific responses, you can produce designs that act as such stimuli.

In fact, where the success or failure of an artifact in achieving its intended purpose depends on creating changes in thinking or behavior, it is critical to utilize the principles of cognitive science in designing the artifact. These principles can also help in enhancing the user’s experience in varied ways by being, say exciting, beautiful or easy-to-use.

According to one writer, “We ask our artifacts (anything that is designed) to make us smarter, reflect our values, invoke the respect and admiration of others and involve our friends and family when appropriate. We want all of this on top of whatever it is they are suppose to do.”

Read Cognitive Design Overview for more.

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Teaching Science to Children: What is Science? Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

National Science Teachers Association of USA (NSTA) had invited comments from teachers on their framework for science education.

One commentator had certain important points to make:

* The omission of social and behavioral sciences from the core sciences is not justified
* The omitted fields can also use the scientific method of observation, description, causal analysis and prediction, and the methodologies of measurement, modeling and statistical analysis
* Modern science includes study of social and behavioral sciences and children should also be exposed to these sciences early on
* Social and behavioral sciences have contributed significantly to our understanding of human behavior, and have even revealed links to biology and social context
* The federal government invests in these sciences to understand human behavior, from neurons to neighborhoods
* Science is beginning to use a transdisciplinary approach and children should be trained in this approach to become tomorrow’s scientists
* Children need to develop an integrative approach leading to scientific reasoning and the capacity to understand natural and social phenomena

The commentator suggest developing a curriculum based on what students need to know to cope with the changing scenario, and focusing on “fewer, higher, clearer” concepts.

Read the comment at isadc.org (if the page is still available).

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Cognitive Science in Education Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

WestEd’s National Center for Cognition and Mathematics Instruction (NCCMI) is redesigning its existing mathematics curriculum using principles of cognitive science to improve student outcomes. It will use current cognitive science knowledge about how we acquire, retain and transfer knowledge for the redesign project. The project will then evaluate whether the new curriculum has indeed improved students’ mathematics achievement.

The project focus will be on the widely used Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) curriculum for middle schools. The evaluation of the revised project will be done through multiple studies.

The team that will execute the project includes experienced and accomplished experts in cognitive research, mathematics instruction specialists, assessment and measurement experts, curriculum writers, professional developers and national advisers.

WestEd will work on the project along with partners such as CMP, Carnegie Mellon University, Temple University and other universities, and Apple Computer Inc. They will also establish a diverse community of users to learn from and apply the NCCMI research.

WestEd is a research, development and service agency that works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity and improve learning. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is funding the research.

Read more at WestEd website.

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Superstitions are Obstacles not only for Cognitive but also Economic and Cultural Development Sunday, July 11th, 2010

When you see things as they are, you can usually find ways to achieve your goals, whether these are economic or some other. By developing a scientific approach, cause and effect relationships can be perceived more readily and this perception can be used to move towards one’s goals.

Not only an understanding of cause and effect relationships but the emotional balance to accept reality and act intelligently based on this reality is also necessary for effective achievements.

Superstitions, including ritualistic religious beliefs, prevent both these requirements. One tends to see things in a preconceived way instead of as they are. Emotional balance also might be affected because of strong biases in favor of one’s set of beliefs.

If the findings of cognitive science can be used by governments and other influencers of people’s views to change the superstitious mindset, it should theoretically be possible to create a better world where conflict is replaced by enlightened self-interest and cooperation. It would be a massive exercise, however.

The above thoughts entered this writer’s mind on going through the article titled “Scientific Mindsets and Worldviews for Peace and Development in Africa” at Azibo Press. The article suggests that African policy-makers, freedom thinkers and activists should adopt the ideals of the French Revolution and work to get rid of “paternalistic, autocratic and despotic kings and fear-mongering, deceitful and fraudulent merchant-priests.”

Read the article at Azibo Press.

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Communication through Gestures Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Gestures are hand movements we use automatically (or even consciously) to supplement or replace verbal communications. According to some experts, gestures (i) call attention to important parts of speech, (ii) provide information not available in speech, (iii) replace words that are not immediately accessible and (iv) offer a shared means for silent group communication.

Children learn to gesture quite early, probably by observing adults, and use gestures to communicate information they cannot yet do verbally. It can be seen as revealing unspoken thoughts and skills that children are on the verge of learning. Gesturing can also influence children’s learning.

Gesturing is so ingrained that we often supplement our speech with gestures even when the other party to the conversation cannot see it, as during a telephone conversation. Politicians might use gesturing consciously to give an impression that they are honest and trustworthy (and even intelligent).

Despite the universality and importance of gestures, its purpose, development and mechanisms do not appear to have been studied with the kind of seriousness that other topics have received. One theory has it that gesturing is intended to conjure up spoken words, and also complements the words to increase comprehension by the listener.

Read an article on how gesturing promotes skill acquisition through childhood at World.Intellectualprops.com.

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A Vaccine for Trauma! Monday, May 24th, 2010

When we think of vaccines, we think of physical illnesses that can be immunized against. Vaccines for trauma? That is something likely to sound strange to most of us. Yet it is something that is being suggested as an early intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to reduce the incidence of flashbacks, a distressing and hallmark symptom of the disorder.

Findings of cognitive science suggest that the human brain can cope with only so many tasks. The science also suggests that memory consolidation takes place within a period of six hours.

A cognitive intervention within six hours of witnessing a traumatic event should prevent the occurrence of flashbacks, based on the above findings. If the cognitive faculties involved in flashbacks can be directed to another activity during the memory consolidation period, the memory can be prevented from consolidating, according to theory.

PTSD flashbacks are images with sensory-perceptual and visuospatial characteristics. Visuospatial computer games such as Tetris involve using the same faculties and it was suggested that playing such a game within half an hour after witnessing a traumatic event will reduce flashbacks. That is the basic theory behind “cognitive vaccine.”

Read about a relevant experiment to test the theory and its conclusions at PLoS ONE.

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Cognitive Science Research at Cognitive Development Lab Saturday, May 15th, 2010

The cognitive lab at UC Merced investigates social reasoning in children and adults. How do we acquire attitudes and social norms, for example? And how do we change acquired social knowledge? There are several research projects on a variety of social topics, as illustrated in the examples below, going on at the lab.

Usually, we affiliate with groups, such as family and friends, for the rich experiences that these groups provide. One research investigates whether people will still prefer groups when no such rich experiences are available. Work at the lab confirms that children do affiliate with even randomly created, unfamiliar groups that they have been put into.

Another research project concerns the role of language. Language is usually seen simply as a vehicle to communicate ideas. According to one view, language does more; it shapes the nature of our thinking. Cultural concepts provide building blocks for our ideas. Research at the lab with bilingual speakers suggest that people respond differently depending on the language they are addressed in.

Adults have attitudes and stereotypes about different social groups. Do children also view social groups in the same way? Research suggests that they do; implicit social attitudes appear early and remain stable during a lifetime.

Visit the Cognitive Lab website for a look at the work the lab does.

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Posted in cognitive science, culture, language, learning | 2 Comments »

What Makes for Good Learning and Development? Friday, May 7th, 2010

Traditionally, psychology has studied children’s development by observing the behavior of children at different ages. Observations have led to conclusions about the ages at which a child acquires different skills and behavior patterns. However, mere observation cannot fully help in improving, for example, the learning abilities of children.

To develop techniques that can help children learn better we need to understand the cause and effect relationships in operation. It is this causal relationship that computational modeling can help understand. Computational models force researchers to explain exactly what they mean by specific terms.

Terms like learning and development, and the various other words used in studying it, must be specified in terms precise enough to incorporate them into computer models. And translating theories into computer models tend to highlight the interdependencies of different elements involved. A model also needs to be internally consistent and complete to some extent before it will function.

The increased specificity and need for consistency tend to reveal the cause and effect relationships involved and lead to insights that can lead to more precise research. And when you know causal factors that lead to specific results, you can design better ways to achieve desired results.

A Wiley article discusses the use of computational modeling in studying cognitive development.

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Do Arts Training Matter in School? Friday, April 9th, 2010

Yes, says jensenlearning.com. Arts training changes the brain physically in ways that enhance academic and social performance of students, according to the writer. This might surprise people who believe that arts affect only one’s emotions.

Arts should be considered a stand-alone discipline on its own that can contribute to the goals we seek through teaching, viz. brain functioning in ways that are academically and socially useful. Arts training changes the brain in ways that other disciplines do not do.

As things stand now, teachers are likely to be overwhelmed with the variety of suggested teaching strategies. Choosing among the strategies becomes a hit or miss affair with no certainty of successful results. This situation, together with the pressure to produce better results, can lead to teacher burnout.

The author of the post advocates focusing on fewer things, on things that have demonstrated their effectiveness. Arts have proven their effectiveness in improving attentional and cognitive skills. Dana Foundation had funded a study to discover the effect of arts on the brain and the resultant findings showed that music enhances cognition, for example.

The brain is plastic, a constantly changing thing. And arts training changes in desirable ways. The article titled Musical training shapes structural brain development in The Journal of Neuroscience provides peer-reviewed evidence.

Read the post at jensenlearning.com

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Workshop on Cognitive Tutor Development Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Cognitive Tutoring reportedly aligns student learning process to “best practices” of learning. It is particularly suitable for education delivery over the Web where the trainer and student will not have face-to-face interactions. A number of cognitive tutor authoring tools are available on the Web.

The workshop on “Hands-on introduction to creating intelligent tutoring systems without programming using the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT)” is to be conducted during the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences,
at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago and is scheduled for
June 29.

The conference will provide background on cognitive tutors and how Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT) work. Participants will get an overview of the process of CTAT development and extensive hands-on use of both basic and advanced CTAT features. These will be supplemented with illustrations and examples that provide specific insights into actual applications.

The course will prove of value to learning science researchers who will learn to create cognitive tutors even if they have no programming skill. The researchers will then be able to decide whether the tool will be of use to them.

Participants are expected to bring laptops with pre-installed CTAT software, which can be downloaded free from Carnegie Mellon.

Read more about the workshop at ICLS 2010 announcement.

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