TY - JOUR
T1 - Instructional compensation for age-related cognitive declines: Effects of goal-specificity in maze learning.
AU - Paas, G.W.C.
AU - Camp, G.
AU - Rikers, Remy
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - The differential effects of goal specificity on maze learning among 40 young adults and 40 old adults were investigated. Participants had to navigate through a computerized training-maze task. The finish point of the maze could be presented either as a specific location or in more general terms. After solving the maze problem, participants were required to solve the same problem again, either by moving from start to finish or backward from finish to start. The hypotheses that the presence or absence of a specific goal would disproportionately compromise or enhance, respectively, elderly people's performance were confirmed. Although young adults outperformed old participants in all conditions, these differences were much smaller in the nonspecific goal conditions. These results suggest that instruction based on cognitive load theory (J, Sweller, J.J.G, Van Merrienboer, & F. Paas, 1998) can compensate for age-related cognitive declines.
AB - The differential effects of goal specificity on maze learning among 40 young adults and 40 old adults were investigated. Participants had to navigate through a computerized training-maze task. The finish point of the maze could be presented either as a specific location or in more general terms. After solving the maze problem, participants were required to solve the same problem again, either by moving from start to finish or backward from finish to start. The hypotheses that the presence or absence of a specific goal would disproportionately compromise or enhance, respectively, elderly people's performance were confirmed. Although young adults outperformed old participants in all conditions, these differences were much smaller in the nonspecific goal conditions. These results suggest that instruction based on cognitive load theory (J, Sweller, J.J.G, Van Merrienboer, & F. Paas, 1998) can compensate for age-related cognitive declines.
U2 - 10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.181
DO - 10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.181
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-0663
VL - 93
SP - 181
EP - 186
JO - Journal of Educational Psychology
JF - Journal of Educational Psychology
IS - 1
ER -