Western Oregon University November 12, 2009 by Robert E. Mahoney Alternative Cognitive Devices and...

Western Oregon University

November 12, 2009

by Robert E. Mahoney

Alternative Cognitive Devices and the Lack of Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills

Developmentally Appropriate Technology Acquisition

Background• High School Students unable to

perform simple tasks• Excessive misuse of homophones

22

12120

0

MathVerbal

There, They’re, and Their

You’re and Your

Even non-homophones such as Then and Than

Reports from Others

• Decline in SAT scores• Is Google Making Us Stupid ?• Employers noting lack of skills

– United States (Cocodia, et al, 2003)

– Britain (Phillips, 2007)

• 35% of college teachers note lack of readiness (Bauerlein, 2008)

Indicators of Decline in Achievement

Government Documents

• Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literacy Reading in America (Bradshaw & Nichols, 2004)

• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Indicators of Decline in Achievement

Out with the Old, In with the New?• Educational Testing Service

– Information & Communications Technology Skills test

The New Standard

Irrelevant88%

Relevant12%

Persuasive Presentations

Ineffective, 60%

Effective; 40%

Searches

Question arises

• What is so different in the last 20 years?

What is happening?

Alternative Cognitive Devices


• The user “outsources” the cognitive task

– Calculators– Spell-Check– Predictive Spelling


Flynn Effect

Phenotypic and

Genotypic Intelligence

Technology & Cognition

Flynn Effect

• James R. Flynn• Rise in intelligence

test scores over time• Requires re-norming

Flynn Effect

Flynn Effect

Gains in IQ

Ancestor Paradox

Flynn Effect

Ancestor Paradox

• Ancestor’s IQ• Functioned in society• Societal Change

– From Concrete to Abstract

IQ

IQ

IQ

Flynn Effect

Gains in IQ• 3 Percentage points per decade

(average)• Occurred until 1990s when it stopped

or reversed in many developed countries (Teasdale & Owen, 2005)

• Why?

Flynn Effect

Why are any Changes Significant?

• Education• Legal System

– Executions (Kanaya, et al, 2003)– Walker vs. True

• Social Security

1: 23 1: 2130

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50 Chart Title

Mentally Impaired

Classification per 1000 students,

1947-1999

(Flynn)

Post Re-norm Pre Re-norm

Flynn Effect

Commonly Cited Reasons for the Flynn Effect

• Genetics insufficient to account for change• Change in Body size/Brain size (Storfer,1999)

• More liberal attitude (Brand, 1987)

• Nutrition• Technological changes



• Historically linked– Switch from oral to written

• Negative and positive consequences• Rewriting neural networks (Small, 2008)

Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge

• What if one lacks the neural network?• What if one lacks the declarative

knowledge?• Procedural knowledge specifies how to

bring declarative knowledge to bear in problem solving (Anderson, 1997)

• Over-reliance on the technology


Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge

x2 + 11x + 28


7 + 4 7 · 4

(x + 7) (x + 4)

Genotypic vs. Phenotypic Intelligence

• Genotypic Intelligence– Attributable to genetic causes

Intelligence – Genes & Environment

• Phenotypic Intelligence– That which is exhibited

• Genetics and the overlay of environmental factors


• Genotypic Intelligence Decline– Based upon birth rate

differential

• Caused by a societal imbalance– Lack of equal access

to contraceptives and reproductive choices 81 111

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Fertility Rate by IQ

IQ Score

Fer

tility

Rat

e (

Num

ber

of C

hild

ren

per

Fam

ily)



Genotypic Intelligence

Phenotypic Intelligence caused by the overlay of environmental factors raises IQ

Flynn Effect

Environmental factors no longer contribute to IQ gains


Reversal of the Flynn Effect

Are we at the juncture wherein technology now interferes as an

environmental factor thereby reducing measures of intelligence,

knowledge, and learning?



• Denmark (Teasdale & Owen, 2005)

• Norway (Sundet, et al, 2004)

• Sweden (Emmanuelsson, et al, 1993)

• Britain (Ginsburg & Coe, 2007; Shayer, 2008)

• Australia (Cotton, 2005)

• Not reversing in developing countries


Reversal of the Flynn EffectUnited States

• SAT Scores• Decline in Textbook Difficulty (Hayes, et al., 1996)

• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)


NAEP Math Scores, 17-year-olds

Note the lack of significant progress

since 1992


48.3

42.5

59.7

78.4

Not Allowed Calculators

(Percent Correct)

77.1

87.9

89.2

87.0

Allowed Calculators

(Percent Correct)

Division

Multiplication

Subtraction

Addition

MATH SKILL

NAEP 1999 Math Test Data

Division

Multiplication

Subtraction

Addition

MATH SKILL

77.1

87.9

89.2

87.0

Allowed Calculators

(Percent Correct)

48.3

42.5

59.7

78.4

Not Allowed Calculators

(Percent Correct)


What Conclusion?

• It is erroneous to conclude that calculators are beneficial to understanding math

• Students only show the computational proficiency with an assistive device


Conclusion

Alternative Cognitive Devices are likely significant environmental factors in

the reduction of measures of intelligence, knowledge, and learning

Additional Research

• The need for additional research in this area exists– Societal significance

• Likely source for additional research would be developing countries– Alternative Cognitive Devices not as prevalent

Discussion

Do you believe that technology is resulting in a reduction of higher order thinking skills?

Open Discussion

Developmentally

Appropriate

Technology

Acquisition

Is this concept key to incorporating technology into education?

Open Discussion

Open Discussion

Open Discussion

Open Discussion

Western Oregon University November 12, 2009 by Robert E. Mahoney Alternative Cognitive Devices and...

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