Link & Learn

Pigeons (Columba livia) learn to link numerosities with symbols.

After responding to each element in varying, successive numerosity displays, pigeons (Columba livia) had to choose, out of an array of symbols, the symbol designated to correspond to the preceding number of elements. After extensive training, 5 pigeons responded with significant accuracy to the numerosities 1 to 4, and 2 pigeons to the numerosities 1 to 5. Several tests showed that feedback ton...

Faking the desire to learn: a clarification of the link between mastery goals and academic achievement.

Research on achievement goals has demonstrated that mastery goals positively impact achievement-related outcomes, but paradoxically hold an inconsistent relation with academic achievement. We hypothesized that this relationship depends on the reason why students endorse mastery goals--namely, to garner teachers' appreciation (social desirability) or to succeed at university (social utility). Fi...

How to Learn/What to Learn

Abst rac t : This paper discusses the kind of in fo rmat ion that must be present in a computer program that models the l i n g u i s t i c development of a c h i l d . A three stage model is presented that character izes the development of a na tu ra l l a n guage parser in a c h i l d of ages one, one and a h a l f , and two. Some data from ch i ld ren of these ages is presented. General prob...

To Learn or Not do Learn

Learn to Communicate and Communicate to Learn

Thinking of a computer as an educational tool emphasizes a solitary interaction between the learner and the computer. A tool is something that is applied to an object in order to change it, and this usually implies a single user working on a single object or project. While tools are an important aspect of an educational experience, the tool metaphor can isolate individual learners from each oth...