PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Speeches/Conference Papers (150)

Processes involved in the acquisition of cognitive skills were studied through an investigation of the efficacy of initially encoding knowledge of a cognitive skill in either declarative or procedural form. Subjects were 80 university students. The cognitive skill, learning the steps to program a simulated video cassette recorder (VCR), was taught and tested through computer simulation. One group was given the task using declarative cues (stating each step in the sequence) and response demands, and another group was given procedural cues (touching each button in sequence) and response demands. Two other groups were given a combination of cue and response modes. The pattern of significant results suggested that the cognitive skill of programming a simulated VCR was developed most efficiently when subjects were prompted to respond to instruction using the procedures they would eventually be asked to use wh'm performing the task. This supports the argument of D. E. Broadbent that cognitive skills are encoded in procedural form. (Contains 5 tables and 19 references.) (SLD) ************************i.A. * ************A):*****)%:,A******i.A*i.:,:,' Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document