Refutation texts compensate for detrimental effects of misconceptions on comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy and support transfer.

AbstractPrevious research has shown that misconceptions impair not only learners’ text comprehension and knowledge transfer but also the accuracy with which they predict their comprehension and transfer. In the present experiment with N = 92 university students, we investigated to what extent reading a refutation text or completing a think sheet compared with a control condition counteracts these adverse effects of misconceptions. The results revealed that both reading a refutation text and completing a think sheet supported learners with misconceptions in acquiring and accurately predicting their comprehension. Completing a think sheet additionally supported the learners in transferring their newly acquired knowledge, even though they were underconfident in their ability to do so. Moreover, learners who completed a think sheet were generally more accurate in discriminating between correctly and incorrectly answered test questions. Finally, delayed testing showed that the learning effects were quite stable, independent of the instructional method. This study reinforces the effectiveness of refutation texts and think sheets and provides important practical implications and avenues for future research.

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Comprehension Testing Affects Metacomprehension Accuracy and Regulation

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e502412013-838 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Keith Thiede ◽

Joshua Redford ◽

Jennifer Wiley ◽

Thomas Griffin

Keyword(s):

Metacomprehension Accuracy

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Generating concept maps improves metacomprehension accuracy

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e527352012-844 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Keith W. Thiede ◽

Mary Anderson ◽

Thomas D. Griffin ◽

Jennifer Wiley

Keyword(s):

Concept Maps ◽

Metacomprehension Accuracy

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Generating keywords improves metacomprehension accuracy and comprehension

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e537102012-738 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

Keith Thiede ◽

Mary Anderson ◽

David Therriault

Keyword(s):

Metacomprehension Accuracy

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EXPRESS: The Effects of Experimentally Induced Emotions on Revising Common Vaccine Misconceptions

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1177/17470218211017840 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174702182110178

Author(s):

Greg Trevors ◽

Catherine Bohn-Gettler ◽

Panayiota Kendeou

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processes ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Educational Practice ◽

Empirical Knowledge ◽

Emotion Induction ◽

Correct Information ◽

Knowledge Revision ◽

Refutation Texts ◽

Experimentally Induced

Knowledge revision is the process of updating incorrect prior knowledge in light of new, correct information. Although theoretical and empirical knowledge has advanced regarding the cognitive processes involved in revision, less is known about the role of emotions, which have shown inconsistent relations with key revision processes. The present study examined the effects of experimentally induced emotions on online and offline knowledge revision of vaccination misconceptions. Before reading refutation and non-refutation texts, 96 individuals received either a positive, negative, or no emotion induction. Findings showed that negative emotions, more than positive emotions, resulted in enhanced knowledge revision as indicated by greater ease of integrating correct information during reading and higher comprehension test scores after reading. Findings are discussed with respect to contemporary frameworks of knowledge revision and emotion in reading comprehension and implications for educational practice.

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Understanding the Delayed-Keyword Effect on Metacomprehension Accuracy.

Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition ◽

10.1037/0278-7393.31.6.1267 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 1267-1280 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Keith W. Thiede ◽

John Dunlosky ◽

Thomas D. Griffin ◽

Jennifer Wiley

Keyword(s):

Metacomprehension Accuracy

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It’s Contagious! The Effects of Gamifying Refutation Texts on Emotions and Learning

10.31219/osf.io/9up7c ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Greg Trevors

Keyword(s):

Public Engagement ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Scaling Up ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Health Policies ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Substantial Body ◽

Correct Information ◽

Public Engagement With Science ◽

Refutation Texts

The current study investigated the effects of gamifying refutations on emotions and learning. Refutations have a substantial body of evidence supporting their use to correct misconceptions, yet reduced efficacy has been observed for some topics that induce negative emotional reactions. We tested whether gamification could mitigate these limits given that it capitalizes on positive affective engagement. From May to December 2020, approximately 200,000 individuals were recruited from social media in Canada to engage with a non-game interactive survey as a control or a fully gamified platform focused on correcting COVID-19 misconceptions. Gamification resulted in higher levels of happiness and anxiety and lower levels of anger and skepticism in response to having misconceptions corrected by refutations. Further, participants who engaged with gamified refutations retained correct information after a brief period. Finally, positive emotions and anxiety positively predicted and negative emotions largely negatively predicted retention and support for related public health policies. Implications for scaling up and reinforcing the benefits of refutations for public engagement with science are discussed.

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