Educating the Developing Mind: The View from Cognitive Psychology

Demetriou, Spanoudis, and Mouyi have provided a comprehensive view of the relation between a model of the mind and the process of education. The model they propose is based on cognitive theories of mental action, rather than neuroscientific evidence. I argue here that that is the correct approach, for a model of the information processing abilities of the mind is far more useful to educators than a model of the neural bases of cognitive processing. Demetriou, Spanoudis, and Mouyi's theoretical approach will be useful to the extent that it provides a framework for further, more specific models of specific situations.     

The effects of expressions of fear induced by background music on reading comprehension

Background

Research has suggested that background music can have a positive or negative effect that can influence the affective state of individuals. Although research has demonstrated that fear negatively influences our cognitive performance, there is a research gap in understanding the combined effects of different background music tempo and fear in influencing reading comprehension performance.

Methods

Data were collected from 70 participants enrolled at a public university in Canada. Participants were required to listen to background music of varying speeds with three conditions (no music, slow music and fast music). We adopted a cross-sectional multi-level modelling approach for the main analyses, and further analyses using t-test and ANOVA.

Results

Results indicated that expression of fear was not a significant predictor of participants' reading comprehension performance (Model 1). However, when music condition was added (Model 2) in addition to expression of fear, a significant relationship between reading comprehension performance and music condition was found, showing better reading comprehension performance in the slow music condition than in the no music condition. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction effect between music condition and expression of fear on reading comprehension performance (Model 3). Importantly, not all individuals were affected by the music to the same extent, with the possibility that baseline level of fear being the key issue in influencing comprehension performance.

Conclusions

Considering both expression of fear and music condition is required to understand the combined effects on cognitive performance. Expression of fear during cognitive tasks such as reading could be an essential signal that interventions should be applied. Such strategies may be especially beneficial for task performers with higher baseline levels of fear and possibly provide us with insights for best practice and research implications in the field of reading comprehension among individuals with special needs.

     

The study skills center

There is an alternative to failing for many students who are unable to achieve in the classroom of Washington High School. The Study Skills Center has provided instruction for these students of a level of which they can achieve through the use of programmed instruction. Each student receives an individualized educational program in nearly any subject in a laboratory which is available both during and after school. A similar program could easily be provided of any school for as little as $250.00 worth of programmed materials. What follows is a desciption of the project design, the results of four years of study in the effectiveness of programmed instruction; and the hope that other schools or districts may implement a few ideas presented herein.