Balancing situativity and formality: the importance of relating a formal language to interactive graphics in logic instruction

Pal, J. van der; Eysink, Tessa H.S.

doi:10.1016/s0959-4752(98)00050-4

Cited by 5 publications

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“…Tarski's World has been reviewed (Goldson, Reeves & Bornat, 1993) as being an easy and fun to use programme that is 'capable of teaching a great deal about a formal language, its interpretation, models, counterexamples and consequence'. Van der Pal & Eysink (1999) designed an instruction for learning formal logic in which Tarski's World was used. In addition to formal expressions, students could manipulate objects in this geometrical world.…”

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confidence: 99%

Cognitive processes in solving variants of computer-based problems used in logic teaching

Eysink

Dijkstra

Kuper

2001

Computers in Human Behavior

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This is the author's version of the journal article, published in Computers & Education, 17 (1) © Elsevier Ltd. 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(00)00038-8The effect of two instructional variables, visualisation and manipulation of objects, in learning to use the logical connective, conditional, was investigated. Instructions for 66 first-year social science students were varied in the computer-based learning environment Tarski's World, designed for teaching first-order logic (Barwise & Etchemendy, 1992. The language of first-order logic: including the Microsoft Windows program Tarski's World 4.0 for use with IBM-compatible computers. Stanford, CA: CSLI). For all instructional conditions, the scores on the transfer tests showed a significant increase in understanding the conditional. Visualisation, operationalised as presenting only formal expressions or a geometrical reality in addition to these, showed no differences on the transfer test. If only presented formal expressions, about half of the participants needed to make drawings of the objects, especially when the problems increased in complexity. The manipulation condition, in which the participants could either construct a geometrical world or were presented a fixed world, significantly influenced the participants' cognitive processes in solving the logic problems. The students worked affirmatively and were tempted to stay in familiar situations. The results support the authors' view that visualisation facilitates cognitive processing. Moreover, the results are congruent with Piaget's theory of the development of knowledge of formal science concepts from the action with objects

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confidence: 99%

Cognitive processes in solving variants of computer-based problems used in logic teaching

Eysink

Dijkstra

Kuper

2001

Computers in Human Behavior

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“…As regards to conditional reasoning, the internalization and externalization processes that enable to analyze more clearly this evolution are still obscure. Van der Pal and Eysink (1999) research study can be mentioned again, as it shows how a logical language is taught to individuals who appropriate it with the help of a technical device and are later able to solve conditional problems, although they are no longer explicitly instructed to use this language. In the post-tests, it is supposed that individuals still use language internally and rely on past instrumental means.…”

Section: Language In Use: Multiple Functions Of Language For Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Cultural-Historical Perspective on the Selection Task

Boissonnade

Tartas

Guidetti

2014

Integr. psych. behav.

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Independently of their age, individuals produce weak logical responses when they solve the Wason selection task. Many studies describe conditional reasoning, focusing on intra-individual and general processes. The role of meaning attributed to the situation or the linguistic interpretation of the rules have nevertheless been stressed by pragmatic studies. Few scattered studies show the role of collective situations, of subjects' prior knowledge and of objects in solving the selection task. This paper goes back to the questions raised by the selection task and attempts to place past results into a cultural-historical theoretical framework, which defines a complex and evolving cognitive system, where human beings rely on social exchanges, equip themselves with cultural instruments, create intellectual tools, and give meaning to their experiences. Taking into account such a system is necessary to shed light upon the possibilities for the development of human thinking processes in order to solve selection tasks.

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“…In order to study the idea that connecting formal sentences to concrete objects would indeed lead to a better understanding of the concepts of logic, Van der Pal and Eysink (1999) designed an instruction in which Tarski's World was used. They compared three conditions: (a) a condition in which situations were described by formal sentences (sentential condition); (b) a condition in which situations were described by visual representations of geometrical objects (geometrical condition); and (c) a condition in which situations were described by formal sentences as well as visual representations of geometrical objects (combined sentential and geometrical condition).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Eysink

Dijkstra

Kuper

2002

Instructional Science

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The effect of two instructional variables, manipulation of objects and guidance, in learning to use the logical connective, conditional, was investigated. Instructions for 72 first-and second year social science students were varied in the computer-based learning environment Tarski's World, designed for teaching first-order logic (Barwise & Etchemendy, 1992). Guidance, which was operationalised by giving the learners problems that guided them to all different types of basic problem situations that could be derived from the conditional and stimulated them to (physically or mentally) manipulate the geometrical objects, significantly influenced the scores from pre-to post test. Manipulation, which was operationalised by giving the learners a visual representation in which (concrete) geometrical objects could be manipulated, yielded significant results from post-to retention test. The results support the authors' view that guidance in combination with the possibility to manipulate objects in a domain, support the acquisition of knowledge and skills in that domain. Guidance leads to the students seeing all situations that are relevant for the development of new knowledge, which has a positive effect directly after instruction. The possibility to manipulate leads to the students playing around in such a way that they (systematically) experience the results of their actions by the feedback given, having an effect after two weeks of non-instruction.

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Balancing situativity and formality: the importance of relating a formal language to interactive graphics in logic instruction

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

Cognitive processes in solving variants of computer-based problems used in logic teaching

Cognitive processes in solving variants of computer-based problems used in logic teaching

Toward a Cultural-Historical Perspective on the Selection Task

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