Identifier

etd-09192008-141454

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Two experiments used a dynamic control task (Berry & Broadbent, 1984) to examine the flexibility of experientially acquired knowledge. The results suggest that experientially acquired knowledge of this task is represented by a lookup table, not a set of tuned strategies. With practice, transfer to a new task was achieved through an extrapolation procedure. Experiment 2 demonstrated far superior task and transfer performance in participants trained with a combination of experiential practice and model-based knowledge. Transfer to new states was only possible when participants were provided with model-based knowledge through direct instruction. Also, providing model-based knowledge during practice resulted in a more flexible representation compared to providing it before or after practice. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Date

2008

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Robert Mathews

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.1269

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS