Very general skills may be biologically primary and therefore unteachable; claimed general-skills training should be tested with far transfer¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r3 · q1
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? The authors argue that general skills such as means-ends analysis may be biologically primary, that there are no data demonstrating such a strategy is teachable, and that studies claiming to teach general skills must include far transfer tests to rule out gains in domain-specific knowledge. → Fred Paas & John Sweller 2011

Evidence¶

Fred Paas & John Sweller 2011¶

Fred Paas & John Sweller. (2011). An Evolutionary Upgrade of Cognitive Load Theory: Using the Human Motor System and Collaboration to Support the Learning of Complex Cognitive Tasks. Educ Psychol Rev (2012) 24:27–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9179-2

q1 · i? · theoretical · r3

Theoretical argument, not a tested result: the authors reason that if general cognitive and metacognitive strategies are biologically primary and acquired automatically, attempting to teach them is likely to be ineffective, and documented improvements may reflect unspecified domain-specific knowledge gains.

"As far as we are aware, there are no data demonstrating that a general problem solving strategy such as means-ends analysis (Newell and Simon 1972) is teachable."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• General problem-solving heuristics used in controlled conscious problem solving are biologically secondary skills requiring explicit learning — reports the opposite
• Whether metacognition is domain-general or domain-specific remains a major unresolved issue with implications for instruction and transfer — related
• Human relationships are primary means of education, and knowledge of humans' unlearned tendencies is necessary to efficient planning for education in general. — related