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Goal specificity and knowledge acquisition in statistics problem solving: evidence for attentional focus
David L Trumpower1, Timothy E Goldsmith, Melissa J Guynn
1Department of Psychology, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-2672, USA. trumpower@marshall.edu
Memory & Cognition
|May 20, 2005
Summary
Solving training problems with nonspecific goals (NG) enhances learning transfer more than standard goals (SG). This occurs because NG training directs attention to local problem structures, fostering deeper understanding, especially in novices.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Learning Sciences
Background:
- Training with nonspecific goals (NG) often yields superior transfer compared to standard goals (SG).
- The goal specificity effect in learning is a key area of research.
- Understanding the mechanisms behind improved transfer is crucial for effective pedagogy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the attentional focus explanation for the goal specificity effect in learning.
- To investigate how different goal types influence attention during problem-solving.
- To determine if attentional focus mediates the relationship between goal specificity and learning transfer.
Main Methods:
- Participants were trained on problems with either nonspecific goals (NG) or standard goals (SG).
- Transfer performance was assessed using structurally different problems.
- Structural knowledge representations were analyzed to map attentional focus.
Main Results:
- Nonspecific goal (NG) training led to faster solving of structurally different transfer problems compared to standard goal (SG) training.
- Structural knowledge representations showed more local relation links after NG training and more goal-specific links after SG training.
- These effects were pronounced in domain novices, supporting the attentional focus hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Attentional focus on local problem structures during NG training enhances structural knowledge and promotes better transfer.
- Standard goal (SG) training directs attention towards the goal, potentially limiting broader structural understanding.
- The benefits of NG training for transfer are particularly evident in novice learners, highlighting the importance of goal setting in skill acquisition.