Change your Mind: Investigating the Effects of Self-Explanation in the Resolution of Misconceptions

Laura K. Allen, Danielle S. McNamara, Matthew T. McCrudden

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

We investigated the differential effects of self-explaining a refutational text, compared to thinking aloud or rereading. Undergraduate students (n = 105) read a refutational text about natural selection and were asked to either self-explain, think-aloud, or re-read the text. Then they completed a posttest that assessed general knowledge of natural selection. Students who self-explained the refutational text subsequently outperformed their peers on a test of their knowledge of natural selection. Additionally, the results suggest that both instructional and performance differences were significantly linked to the degree of causal cohesion present within students' natural language responses to the text (i.e., self-explanations and think-alouds).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2015
EditorsDavid C. Noelle, Rick Dale, Anne Warlaumont, Jeff Yoshimi, Teenie Matlock, Carolyn D. Jennings, Paul P. Maglio
PublisherThe Cognitive Science Society
Pages78-83
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780991196722
StatePublished - 2015
Event37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Mind, Technology, and Society, CogSci 2015 - Pasadena, United States
Duration: Jul 23 2015Jul 25 2015

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2015

Conference

Conference37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Mind, Technology, and Society, CogSci 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPasadena
Period7/23/157/25/15

Keywords

  • cohesion
  • comprehension
  • computational linguistics
  • conceptual change
  • self-explanation
  • strategies

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

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