Learning the Brain in Introductory Psychology

Abstract

The goal of this research was to determine whether there is a generation effect for learner-created keyword mnemonics and real-life examples, compared to instructor-provided materials, when learning neurophysiological terms and definitions in introductory psychology. Students participated in an individual (Study 1) or small-group (Study 2) in-class activity during which they used three strategies: generate new keyword mnemonics, generate new real-life examples, and read instructor-provided mnemonics and examples. Immediate and delayed quiz results showed that the keyword-mnemonic-generation strategy was superior for definitional quiz performance across both time points. Questionnaire data indicated that students overall felt ''generating'' was more helpful than ''reading,'' generating mnemonics was more helpful than generating examples, and a substantial portion would plan to use the mnemonic-generation strategy in the future. Results are discussed in the context of mnemonics training, specifically mnemonics-creation assignments, in the introductory-level psychology classroom and beyond.

Brain-Training Pessimism, but Applied-Memory Optimism

“…Dunlosky et al (2013) concluded from their extensive review that practice testing is extremely effective for longer-term learning in a variety of learning situations. We also note that testing is one example of a broader category of memory strategy called generation , which is based on the idea that memory is better for learner-created materials than instructor/trainer-created ones (e.g., Slamecka & Graf, 1978; for more on generation in relation to educationally relevant materials, see McCabe, 2015).…”

Nature, Nurture, and Nous: The Role of Reflection and Reason in the Nature-Nurture Debate

“…This hypothesis is reminiscent of those explored in developmental studies of generalization and causal reasoning (Gopnik, 2000(Gopnik, , 2001. Research on learning and memory suggests that self-generated knowledge and autonomous learning are conducive to the encoding of information and its later retrieval in novel situations (e.g., Deci & Ryan, 2008;MacLeod et al, 2012;McCabe, 2015).…”

“…Autocatalytic networks have been mathematically extended and generalized as Reflexively Autocatalytic Foodset Generated networks (RAFs) (Hordijk, Hein & Steel, 2010;Hordijk, Kauffman & Steel, 2011;Hordijk & Steel, 2004, 2015, 2016Steel, Hordijk, & Xavier, 2019;Steel, Xavier & Huson, 2020;Xavier, et al, 2020). The RAF framework stimulated a flurry of new applications of the autocatalytic networks framework to cognition and cultural evolution (Gabora, Beckage & Steel, 2022;Gabora & Steel, 2017, 2020a,b, 2021Ganesh & Gabora, 2022a,b).…”

Increased Anxiety is Associated with Better Learning from Negative Feedback

“…This type of demonstration is both feasible and manageable for students and could thus facilitate their learning (Howard & Michael, 2019). Furthermore, this handson experience could facilitate mnemonic strategies for meaningfully organizing and chunking to-be-learned information about the present paradigm (McCabe, 2015). This approach should assist with increasing students' understanding of feedback processing, thus improving their receptivity to what is generally accepted as a difficult component of learning psychology.…”