The application of cognitive scientific findings related to spacing effects to web-based CAI systems

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to illustrate how findings in cognitive science can be applied to educational technology and to provide a framework for future collaborative research projects. The paper describes a series of investigations undertaken by the author. On the basis of recent findings in cognitive psychology related to memory activity, the author proposed a new theory to explain the cause of spacing effects. According to this reactivation theory, the spacing effect is due to the fact that memory reactivation in spaced presentation is larger than that in massed presentation. The validity of this theory was established using a cognitive scientific approach. The author then used the theory to develop an effective and time-efficient spaced learning method which was adaptive to individual differences in working-memory capacity. This method, known as the Low-First Method, was applied to a Web-based CAI system, and its effectiveness was proven in a practical educational context. The last section discusses the importance of the cognitive scientific approach in the application of psychological findings to educational technology, especially with respect to the construction of concrete models