The effect of information distribution on collaborative inhibition

Two experiments examined collaborative memory for information that was studied by all group members (shared items) and information that was studied by only a subset of group members (unshared items). In both experiments significant collaborative inhibition (reduced output of the collaborative groups relative to the pooled output of individuals) was obtained for both shared and unshared information. In Experiment 1 the magnitude of collaborative inhibition was larger for unshared items than for shared items, possibly because unshared items were less likely to be acknowledged and thus incorporated into the groups’ recall. In Experiment 2 the magnitude of collaborative inhibition for shared and unshared information was equivalent once all participants were provided with the category name associated with the shared and unshared items. The results of the experiments are discussed in relation to the retrieval strategy disruption hypothesis of collaborative inhibition and the role of social process variables, such as acknowledgement, in influencing collaborative inhibition across situations involving memory of shared and unshared information.     

儿童青少年协作促进的发展

旨在考察不同年龄的个体, 在不同回忆序列和学习材料上协作促进的发展情况。采用3(回忆序列:协作—个人—个人〔CII〕、个人—协作—个人〔ICI〕、个人—个人—个人〔III〕)× 5(年龄:9、11、14、17、20)× 2(材料:图片、文字)的被试间设计。结果发现:(1)各年龄个体在CII和ICI两种回忆序列上均出现了协作促进, 且两种序列条件下被试的最终个人回忆成绩无差异;(2)另外, 17岁个体的协作促进量显著高于9岁、11岁、14岁和20岁, 其他各年龄之间无差异;(3)图片和文字的协作促进量无差异。这说明小组协作回忆的顺序对协作促进没有太大影响, 17岁个体协作促进的效果最好。     

The effects of incentives and instructions on children's allocation of study time

So far, research on children's allocation of study time has shown that, even though most young children can distinguish between easy and hard learning materials, they do not use this knowledge for further regulation of study time. To explore possible underlying mechanisms, we examined whether task characteristics can be created that facilitate children's appropriate use of study time. We investigated the effects of incentives and instructions (accuracy vs. speed emphasized) in 69 seven-year-old and 79 nine-year-old children's self-paced study times for easy (highly associated) and hard (unrelated) item pairs. Overall, the results confirm the findings obtained in previous studies, with older children differentiating more between easy and difficult learning materials in their study time. Regarding the effects of instructions, the study revealed that only 9-year-olds studied significantly longer when accuracy was emphasized. In contrast to our expectations, this increase in study time was not accompanied by an increase in subsequent recall. No differences in the study times were found as a function of presence/absence of incentives. The results are discussed both in terms of developmental progression taking place and in terms of the general theory of self-paced study time.     

Learning by Arguing About Evidence and Explanations

Collaborative learning with cases characteristically involves discussing and developing shared explanations. We investigated the argumentation scheme which learners use in constructing shared explanations over evidence. We observed medical students attempting to explain how a judge had arrived at his verdict in a case of medical negligence. The students were learning within a virtual learning environment and their communication was computer mediated. We identify the dialogue type that these learners construct and show that their argumentation conforms with an abductive form of argumentation scheme (‘inference to the best explanation’). We also assessed the students’ learning and propose that it is related to particular features of this argumentation scheme.     

Are cultural differences overrated? Examining the influence of national culture on international buyer‐seller relationships

The notion that differences in national culture influence international buyer‐seller relationships (and, indeed, all aspects of international management) is not only held as true but also axiomatic. This study questions the degree to which cultural differences impact upon buyer‐seller relations for seven key dimensions using Hofstede's indices of culture. Via two stages of data collection using two methodological approaches (seven interviews and 322 useable responses from a mail survey), the impact of culture on international buyer‐seller relationships was examined. The study's findings identified little evidence to support the popular idea that culture exerts a significant influence on international business relationships. Instead, the findings suggest that some managers perceived factors such as communication/language barriers, political barriers, geographic distance, economic factors, industry barriers, time differences, technology barriers, legal differences and infrastructure barriers as being more likely to have a greater impact on cross‐national relationships. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Understanding marital conflict 7 years later from prenatal representations of marriage

We examine how representations of marriage, assessed prenatally, predict different types of marital conflict (cooperation, avoidance/capitulation, stonewalling, and child involvement in parental conflict) at 7 years postpartum (N=132 individuals). We assessed representations of marriage prenatally by interviewing spouses about their own parents' marriage, and then rated the content and insightfulness of their memories. Results show that marital representations characterized by higher insight predict higher cooperation and lower child involvement in parental conflict, whereas content of marital representations was not a significant predictor of marital conflict. Further, individuals who remember negative memories from their parents' marriage with high insight were lowest on child involvement in parental conflict, whereas those who remember negative memories with low insight were highest on child involvement in parental conflict. Finally, women who remember negative content with high insight report the highest cooperation, whereas women who remember negative content with low insight report the lowest cooperation. For men, however, marital representations were less effective in predicting later cooperation. We conclude that marital representations, even when assessed prenatally, influence certain types of marital conflict 7 years later. Using such findings, therapists could help spouses gain insight into how the memories of their parents' marriage relate to the use of specific conflict strategies in their marriage.     

How do students implement collaborative testing in real-world contexts?

Recent research has explored the effects of collaborative testing, showing costs and benefits during learning and for subsequent memory. However, no prior research is informative about whether and how students use collaborative testing in real-world contexts. Accordingly, the primary purpose of the current research was to explore the extent to which students use collaborative testing during self-regulated learning. We conducted three surveys (n = 692 across three samples) asking students about their use of collaborative testing, with a particular interest in conditions under which students report implementing collaborative testing. Among the key outcomes, a majority of students reported using collaborative testing when studying in a group. Additionally, students reported that key term definitions are the material most often used during collaborative testing. Students are also more motivated to use testing and believe testing is more effective and more fun when implemented in a group versus alone. Outcomes also shed light on metacognitive components of collaborative testing, with the student asking (versus answering) the question making the monitoring judgement whereas both students make the control decision about when to terminate practice. We discuss ways in which the collaborative memory literature can be extended to support more successful student learning.