A system of cognitive stimulation in instructional strategies

Cognitive Stimulation is a system of intrinsic motivation which draws upon neo-behavioral, cognitive, and information-processing theories and upon a body of related research. The essential features of this system are the following: (a) a discrepancy between stimulus input and the learner's expectations for that input, (b) instrumental responses by the learner to reduce the discrepancy, and (c) feedback which may have the effect of maintaining the discrepancy or of reducing it by signalling changes in the environment or by modifying the learner's expectations. Based on this formulation, some important instructional considerations include the collative content of the input and the type of expectation which the input violates. In order to maximize their motivational effects, discrepancies must be maintained at optimal levels by manipulating variables such as the total value of the discrepant elements and the degree to which the elements are incompatible. Finally, the motivational impact of discrepancies is subject to the facilitating or debilitating effects of cognitive and personality differences among individual learners. The implications of this system for instructional decision-making were considered in terms of the selection of instructional topics, instructional materials, and instructional strategies.