Session M - From Experimental psychology to a science of learning

Ottmar Lipp, University of Queensland
Sacha DeVelle, ACER

Human learning has been one of the core topics of psychology since its inception as an independent discipline in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, if one were to tally the contributions that experimental psychology has made to enhance learning in practice, only a rather brief list would emerge. This rather disappointing picture is slowly changing. By drawing on recent developments within experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, it is possible to highlight a number of promising approaches to the development of a translational educational science that connects basic psychological research and educational practice. Phenomena like the testing effect or the practice of interleaved training hold considerable promise to support enhanced learning across various settings and content areas, through building on strong empirical evidence. But the challenge remains to bridge the gap between the research laboratory on the one hand and the classroom on the other. The concept of the experimental classroom that affords the level of control required for the systematic study of human learning as well as the realism of a ‘live’ teaching and learning setting is proposed as an answer to this challenge.

Abstract

Concurrent Session Block 3