Reasoning (Psychology)

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to compare Chinese and
American students’ inclined level of critical thinking using the California Critical
Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) (Insight Assessment, 2013). The literature of
Paul and Elder (1996, 2000, 2005, 2010), Facione and Facione (1992, 1996) and
Brookfield (2005, 2010, 2013) and the conceptual framework in this study provided the foundation for the main research question of whether there are differences between Chinese and American students’ scores on the seven individual scales and their total score on the CCTDI. The Sample included 41 Chinese and 50 American undergraduate and graduate students at Florida Atlantic University, a regional research university located in southeast Florida. Independent t-tests concluded that there were no differences between the 41 Chinese students and the 50 American students regarding their critical thinking dispositions on each of seven scales on the CCTDI. A factorial analysis of variance measured moderator questions to determine
whether there was a difference between Chinese and American students’ CCTDI scores based on student gender, discipline of study, undergraduate or graduate status, or enrollment as an undergraduate within the United States. There were significant differences between the critical thinking dispositions of Chinese and American undergraduate and graduate students when comparing the scale of open mindedness and gender. There were also significant differences for the scale of confidence in reasoning and discipline. For the remaining questions, there were no significant differences. A Pearson’s correlation determined that there was no relationship between the length of time students had been in the United States and their scores on the CCTDI. Educational implications include that when problem-solving skills are developed in the college setting, critical thinking can be cultivated to help prepare students for work in future employment settings. Social implications include the use of critical thinking when faced with decision making in adults’ lives, as well as in their daily work. This study may be the foundation for future studies. Finally, educators may find the CCTDI helpful in positioning students’ critical thinking dispositions prior to learning or training activities.

The present study investigated the relationship between knowledge of functional principles and knowledge of weighted averages. Weighted average knowledge is used in estimating answers to mixture problems, and the present study examined two different methods of training people in estimation proficiency. One training method, the principles method, utilized principles of range, monotonicity, and linearity. Another training method was the formula method. The study compared the effectiveness of the two procedures in improving subjects' performance on estimation and graph identification tasks. It was predicted that formula instruction would provide subjects with a more effective means by which to accomplish the estimation task, whereas principles instruction would improve performance on the graph identification task. Results showed formula instruction to be more effective in improving accuracy on the estimation task, but neither method proved helpful on the graph identification task. Knowledge of functional principles and knowledge of weighted averages appeared compartmentalized (i.e., separate).

This was an exploratory study of factors that predict individual differences in chemistry learning. Consistent with cognitive learning theory, working memory was assumed to be an important predictor of chemistry knowledge. Measures of chemistry affect, cognitive ability, demographics and mathematical ability were examined in relation to visual/schematic and algebra-like stoichiometry chemistry word problem solving ability and strategy use. 139 undergraduate students (91 females, 48 males) at a major Southeastern university participated in this study (Age ranged from 18 to 39 years (M = 20.70 years of age)). Perceived usefulness of the chemistry material, mathematical ability, GPA, and SGPA uniquely predicted conceptual stoichiometry problem solving ability.

Pseudoscience is a collection of nonfiction essays analyzing the origins and methodologies or various pseudoscientific practices against the backdrop of events from the narrator's life that mirror those practices in some way. Pseudoscience is unverifiable. Pseudoscience is unverifiable.

One of the most fundamental functions of human cognition is to parse an otherwise chaotic world into different kinds of things. The ability to learn what objects are and how to respond to them appropriately is essential for daily living. The literature has presented contrasting evidence about the role of perpetual features such as artifact appearance versus causal or inductive reasoning in chldren's category distinctions (e.g., function). The present project used a child-initiated inquiry paradigm to investigate how children conceptualize artifacts, specifically how they prioritize different types of information that typify not only novel but also familiar objects. Results underscore a hybrid model in which perceptual features and deeper properties act synergistically to inform children's artifact conceptualization. Function, however, appears to be the driving force of this relationship.