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Participation in collaborative learning environments has demonstrated significant learning advantages due to opportunities for group members to contribute to shared problem-solving processes, share...

Collaborative argumentation in education, where students work together to construct and critique arguments, is an important social practice in many disciplines and can also develop conceptual under...

This microgenetic case study explores how an undergraduate student (Nolan) in a second-year seminar mastered an argument weighing scheme and used it to organize his writing. The students in this seminar completed argumentation vee diagrams (AVDs) prior to discussing controversial issues. Students also completed preessays and postessays on a different topic without using AVDs. Through the AVDs, students were provided with critical, evaluative questions related to designing solutions and weighing arguments against counterarguments. In separate work, we report that the intervention was effective in increasing the number of refutations related to the critical questions (Nussbaum & Dove, 2018). Nolan showed particularly strong growth, and this case study analyzes his discourse to generate qualitative insights and hypotheses into his development. Using the conceptual framework of argument-counterargument integration (Nussbaum, 2008b), we analyzed Nolan’s written artifacts and discussions to better understand how his proficiency with using the argument scheme developed over time. Our results suggest that Nolan initially displayed piecemeal use of the scheme, but over time, Nolan learned to articulate general principles and to integrate these with specific points regarding benefits and costs, as well as with solution-oriented design statements that further reduced disadvantages. Use of the scheme spontaneously transferred to a novel topic. Extensive engagement in ethical discussions, along with studying ethical theory and answering critical questions on AVDs, may have contributed to his development. Theoretical and practical implications related to teaching argumentative writing in conjunction with oral discourse are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Refutation texts, which are texts that rebut scientific misconceptions and explain the normative concept, can be effective devices for addressing misconceptions and affecting conceptual change. However, few, if any, refutation texts specifically related to climate change have been validated for effectiveness. In this project, we developed and tested three refutation texts related to climate change. The three texts, which are freely available for other educators and researchers to use, relate to (1) the enhanced greenhouse effect, (2) the distinction between climate and weather, and (3) the nature of ozone depletion and how it is not a major contributor to global warming. Participants in the study consisted of 146 undergraduates enrolled in various educational psychology courses. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. All participants completed a knowledge pretest, posttest, and delayed (2 wk) posttest. Experimental-group participants read one of the refutation texts, whe...

Quantum technology is increasingly relying on specialised statistical inference methods for analysing quantum measurement data. This motivates the development of “quantum statistics”, a field that is shaping up at the overlap of quantum physics and “classical” statistics. One of the less investigated topics to date is that of statistical inference for infinite dimensional quantum systems, which can be seen as quantum counterpart of nonparametric statistics. In this paper, we analyse the asymptotic theory of quantum statistical models consisting of ensembles of quantum systems which are identically prepared in a pure state. In the limit of large ensembles, we establish the local asymptotic equivalence (LAE) of this i.i.d. model to a quantum Gaussian white noise model. We use the LAE result in order to establish minimax rates for the estimation of pure states belonging to Hermite–Sobolev classes of wave functions. Moreover, for quadratic functional estimation of the same states we note an elbow effect in the rates, whereas for testing a pure state a sharp parametric rate is attained over the nonparametric Hermite–Sobolev class.

This study examines the interaction of political orientation with academic discipline on beliefs in anthropogenic climate change (ACC) among higher education faculty. Over 300 faculty members at two research institutions in the United States were surveyed on topics concerning ACC and the results were analyzed with multiple regression. Even among professors, there was a strong relationship between political orientation (liberal versus conservative) and belief in ACC; however, the relationship was substantially attenuated among professors who taught courses in liberal arts and education. On the other hand, the relationship between political orientation and ACC belief was much stronger among faculty teaching business and hotel management, compared to faculty teaching other subjects. Finally, there was a main positive effect for teaching science. The results suggest that outreach efforts to encourage more faculty to include climate change relevant information in their courses might give high priority to faculty in liberal arts and education.

Plausibility judgments rarely have been addressed empirically in conceptual change research. Recent research, however, suggests that these judgments may be pivotal to conceptual change about certain topics where a gap exists between what scientists and laypersons find plausible. Based on a philosophical and empirical foundation, this article presents a theoretical model of the role of plausibility judgments in conceptual change (PJCC) with implications for epistemic cognition. The PJCC moves beyond the limitations of cold cognitive processing by incorporating the warmer constructs of affect, motivation, and motivated reasoning. We review recent research in plausibility judgments that informed the PJCC's development and discuss components of the model. Of particular note is the importance of using explicit critical evaluation to reappraise plausibility judgments that may have been originally made through implicit cognitive processes. We also suggest potentially productive areas of future research based on ...

Argument–counterargument integration ( Nussbaum, 2008 ) refers to the process of evaluating, refuting, and synthesizing arguments on two sides of an issue when creating justification for an overall conclusion. This study compared the cognitive load of two critical thinking strategies related to argument–counterargument integration: (a) constructing design claims that minimize disadvantages of an alternative, and (b) weighing refutations (which weaken an argument by arguing that there are more important values at stake). College students ( N = 285) first completed the Need for Cognition (NFC) scale and were then presented with materials summarizing arguments and counterarguments on the topic of grading class participation. Participants completed a small, integrative essay justifying a stand on the issue, and completed the Mental Effort Rating Scale ( Paas, 1992 ). Participants who generated complex weighing refutations reported more mental effort than those constructing complex design claims (and the control group), with a stronger relationship with those high in NFC. The need to coordinate disparate elements in working memory may explain the higher load associated with constructing weighing refutations. Students may need more (and different types of) scaffolding in using this strategy than when constructing a design claim, which is a more sequential process.

The classical metric theory of statistical models (experiments) has recently been extended towards an asymptotic equivalence paradigm, allowing to classify and relate problems which are essentially infinite dimensional and ill-posed. Modern statistical concepts like these are also being integrated into the emerging field of quantum statistics, which is developing on the background of technological breakthroughs in quantum engineering. The workshop brought together leading experts in these areas, with the goal of establishing a common language, and fostering collaborations between mathematical statisticians, theoretical physicists and experimentalists. Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 62G20, 81P45. Introduction by the Organisers The workshop New Horizons in Statistical Decision Theory was the first significant meeting bringing together researchers from mathematical statistics and quantum information theory, under the broad umbrella of statistical decision theory. The aim of the workshop was twofold. The first goal was to review recent progress in these areas, e.g. in non-parametric regression, confidence intervals, quantum local asymptotic normality and quantum compressed sensing tomography. The second, and perhaps more important goal, was to establish a communication platform and facilitate the exchange of methodology and techniques between the two fields. Recent progress in quantum information technologies has brought the statistical analysis of quantum measurements data to the forefront of experimental and theoretical efforts. The increasing complexity of quantum devices requires a new 2298 Oberwolfach Report 41/2014 range of statistical methods to deal with large dimensional models, model selection, measurement design, and reliable confidence intervals. In the same time, many key statistical concepts from statistical decision theory have been extended to quantum statistics, bringing the two subjects closer together, and making the workshop a very timely event. In recognition of his pioneering work at the interface of quantum theory, information theory and statistics, the workshop was opened with a presentation by Alexander Holevo on the recently solved quantum Gaussian optimizers conjecture. The program contained a mixture of alternating statistics and quantum information presentations. To increase the accessibility, the speakers observed the “15 minutes rule” of beginning with a broad overview of the subject. Additionally, a lively dictionary session was organised on Tuesday, and several open problems were debated in another session on Thursday. PhD students had the opportunity to present their results with short presentations in a special evening session. As organisers we were gratified by the level of engagement of participants on both sides, lively discussions and emerging collaborations. The excellent atmosphere was facilitated by the working environment at the MFO to which we would like to express our deep gratitude. Richard Gill, Madalin Guta and Michael Nussbaum Acknowledgement: The MFO and the workshop organizers would like to thank the National Science Foundation for supporting the participation of junior researchers in the workshop by the grant DMS-1049268, “US Junior Oberwolfach Fellows”. New Horizons in Statistical Decision Theory 2299 Workshop: New Horizons in Statistical Decision Theory

A ditopic benzobis(carbene) ligand precursor was prepared that contained a chelating pyridyl moiety to ensure co-planarity of the carbene ligand and the coordination plane of a bound octahedral metal center. Bimetallic ruthenium complexes comprising this ditopic ligand [L₄Ru-C,N-bbi-C,N-RuL₄] were obtained by a transmetalation methodology (C,N-bbi-C,N=benzobis(N-pyridyl-N′-methyl-imidazolylidene). The two metal centers are electronically decoupled when the ruthenium is in a pseudotetrahedral geometry imparted by a cymene spectator ligand (L₄=[(cym)Cl]). Ligand exchange of the Cl⁻/cymene ligands for two bipyridine or four MeCN ligands induced a change of the coordination geometry to octahedral. As a consequence, the ruthenium centers, separated through space by more than 10 Å, become electronically coupled, which is evidenced by two distinctly different metal-centered oxidation processes that are separated by 134 mV (L₄=[(bpy)₂]; bpy=2,2′-bipyridine) and 244 mV (L₄=[(MeCN)₄]), respectively. Hush analysis of the intervalence charge-transfer bands in the mixed-valent species indicates substantial valence delocalization in both complexes (delocalization parameter Γ=0.41 and 0.37 in the bpy and MeCN complexes, respectively). Spectroelectrochemical measurements further indicated that the mixed-valent RuII/RuIII species and the fully oxidized RuIII/RuIII complexes gradually decompose when bound to MeCN ligands, whereas the bpy spectators significantly enhance the stability. These results demonstrate the efficiency of carbenes and, in particular, of the bbi ligand scaffold for mediating electron transfer and for the fabrication of molecular redox switches. Moreover, the relevance of spectator ligands is emphasized for tailoring the degree of electronic communication through the benzobis(carbene) linker.

Plausibility is a central but under-examined topic in conceptual change research. Climate change is an important socio-scientific topic; however, many view human-induced climate change as implausible. When learning about climate change, students need to make plausibility judgments but they may not be sufficiently critical or reflective. The purpose of this study was to examine how students' plausibility judgments and knowledge about human-induced climate change transform during instruction promoting critical evaluation. The results revealed that treatment group participants who engaged in critical evaluation experienced a significant shift in their plausibility judgments toward the scientifically accepted model of human-induced climate change. This shift was accompanied by significant conceptual change postinstruction that was maintained after a six-month delay. A comparison group who experienced a climate change activity that is part of their normal curriculum did not experience statistically significant changes.

In the problem of testing for signal in Gaussian white noise, over a smoothness class with an $L_{2}$-ball removed, minimax rates of convergences (separation rates) are well known (Ingster [24]); they are expressed in the rate of the ball radius tending to zero along with noise intensity, such that a nontrivial asymptotic power is possible. It is also known that, if the smoothness class is a Sobolev type ellipsoid of degree $\beta$ and size $M$, the optimal rate result can be sharpened towards a Pinsker type asymptotics for the critical radius (Ermakov [9]). The minimax optimal tests in that setting depend on $\beta$ and $M$; but whereas in nonparametric estimation with squared $L_{2}$-loss, adaptive estimators attaining the Pinsker constant are known, the analogous problem in testing is open. First, for adaptation to $M$ only, we establish that it is not possible at the critical separation rate, but is possible in the sense of the asymptotics of tail error probabilities at slightly slower rates. For full adaptation to $(\beta,M)$, it is well known that a $\log\log n$-penalty over the separation rate is incurred. We extend a preliminary result of Ingster and Suslina [25] relating to fixed $M$ and unknown $\beta$, and establish that sharp minimax adaptation to both parameters is possible. Thus a complete solution is obtained, in the basic $L_{2}$-case, to the problem of adaptive nonparametric testing at the level of asymptotic minimax constants.

We derive a large deviation result for the log-likelihood ratio for testing simple hypotheses in locally stationary Gaussian processes. This result allows us to find explicitly the rates of exponential decay of the error probabilities of type I and type II for Neyman–Pearson tests. Furthermore, we obtain the analogue of classical results on asymptotic efficiency of tests such as Stein’s lemma and the Chernoff bound, as well as the more general Hoeffding bound concerning best possible joint exponential rates for the two error probabilities.

We surveyed 178 undergraduates to investigate whether differences exist between traditional and nontraditional students' goal orientations and/or coping strategies and to investigate relationships between goal orientations and coping strategies. Using the variables age, marital status, parental status, and whether time was ever taken off from school, a cluster analysis was used to identify traditional and nontraditional students. Results from a MANOVA indicated that the traditional student cluster scored significantly higher on emotion-oriented coping than did the nontraditional cluster. The implications derived from the results and additional relationships are discussed, along with avenues for future research.

Learning about certain scientific topics has potential to spark strong emotions among students. We investigated whether emotions predicted students’ attitudes after engaging in independent rereading and/or rereading plus discussion about Pluto’s reclassification. Fifth and sixth grade students read a refutation text on Pluto’s reclassification. Participants were randomly assigned to either the reread independently or the reread plus discussion group. Results showed that students in both groups experienced attitude change and that change was sustained over time. Students reported experiencing more negative than positive emotions at pretest. Emotions, which became more positive after intervention, were predictive of students’ attitudes and attitude change. Implications for the role of emotions when learning about controversial topics are discussed.

This article explores the concepts of critical questions (from D. N. Walton, 1996) and integrative and refutational argument stratagems as an approach for teaching argumentation and critical thinking. A study was conducted for 6 months in 3 sections of a 7th-grade social studies classroom in which 30 students discussed and wrote about current events. One section served as a comparison group. Over time the experimental group made more arguments that integrated both sides of each issue. Collectively, the experimental group also successfully constructed salient critical questions, particularly in regard to weighing values and designing practical creative solutions. In-depth analysis of 1 student showed how conceptual structures and argument practices improved incrementally over time and how the appropriation of stratagems may have been facilitated by the dialectical nature of the intervention (e.g., using critical questions and stratagems successfully in discourse). The theoretical and practical importance o...

Toulmin's model of argumentation, developed in 1958, has guided much argumentation research in education. However, argumentation theory in philosophy and cognitive science has advanced considerably since 1958. There are currently several alternative frameworks of argumentation that can be useful for both research and practice in education. These frameworks include Walton's dialogue theory and Bayesian models of everyday arguments. This article reviews and evaluates these frameworks and shows how each can be applied instructionally (e.g., through the teaching of critical questions or probability modeling) and, from a research standpoint, in evaluating the content and quality of informal arguments. It is concluded that attention to these and other contemporary argumentation frameworks can help move the study of argumentation in education forward.

We hypothesized that instruction in the criteria of scientific arguments, in combination with constructivist epistemic beliefs, would produce greater learning about physics concepts. The study was a randomized experiment, where college undergraduates (n = 88) discussed, in pairs over the Web, several physics problems related to gravity and air resistance. Prior to their discussions, one‐half of the dyads received information on the nature of scientific arguments. All students were classified epistemologically as relativists, multiplists, or evaluativists. We found that students in the treatment group incorporated more scientific criteria into their discussion notes and accordingly developed better arguments on several dimensions. In addition, significantly more participants in the treatment group adopted the correct answer to one of the problems. Outcomes also differed in relation to students’ epistemic beliefs. Specifically, multiplists were less critical of inconsistencies and misconceptions, and intera...

This study examined a new prewriting tool, argumentation vee diagrams (AVDs), which are used to write reflective opinion essays. AVDs are based on the theoretical concept of argument-counterargument integration, which involves evaluating and integrating both sides of an issue before developing a final conclusion on a controversial question. In a test of the effectiveness of AVDs, 45 undergraduates at a large, southwestern university were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Both groups wrote 4 opinion essays over a 4-week period. The experimental group also received training on using the AVDs, including instruction on criteria for weighing arguments. Results indicated that AVD training was effective in enhancing argument-counterargument integration. Furthermore, examination of integration strategies used by participants revealed a new strategy, minimization, which was not previously part of E. M. Nussbaum and G. Schraw's (2007) argument-counterargument integration framework. Minimization involves curtailing the importance or extensiveness of a problem or advantage as a heuristic shortcut for weighing advantages and disadvantages. The role of critical questions and argumentation schemata in argument-counterargument integration is discussed.

This article serves two functions. First, it addresses why studying collaborative discourse and collaborative argumentation is important for promoting students’ deep-level understanding of content. A literature review is presented examining the evidence for this claim, concluding that engaging in collaborative discourse and argumentation might have long-term effects in consolidating learning gains. Second, the various articles in this special issue are introduced. The articles address important directions for research, including (a) how to promote pedagogically useful collaborative discourse in the classroom and in workplace setting (for example by modeling and soliciting elaborative discourse moves or by engendering “polite” behavioral norms), (b) understanding the role of joint representations and mental models in collaborative discourse, and (c) methodological difficulties with analyzing nonindependent and categorical data. The importance for educational psychologists in understanding the interaction of cognitive and social processes is highlighted.

Climate change literacy plays a key role in promoting sound political decisions and promoting sustainable consumption patterns. Based on evidence suggesting that student understanding and interest in climate change is best accomplished through studying local effects, we developed a simulation/game exploring the impact of climate change on the declining water levels in Lake Mead. Because there are few evaluations of educational games using true control groups, this study also presents a randomized field trial evaluating the game. We randomly assigned 119 seventh graders to either a gamebased condition or control condition. Students in the experimental group played Losing the Lake; those in the control group viewed an earth science website. Students also completed pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest measures of their content understanding and interest in issues embodied in the game. We found that playing the game resulted in a significant increase in content knowledge, as measured by a 22-item assessment, especially on items related to household conservation and some basic concepts related to the greenhouse effect. The control group showed no effect. Playing

It is important, when writing opinion essays, for students to consider and integrate both arguments and counterarguments to develop a final conclusion. In this article, the authors explored the effect of criteria instruction and a graphic organizer to promote integration of arguments and counterarguments. The researchers randomly assigned 84 participants from an undergraduate educational psychology course to 1 of 4 conditions: training only, organizer only, combined, and control. The graphic organizer resulted in more refutations of counterarguments. However, criteria instruction resulted in better integration of argument and counterargument (with stronger rebuttals and more balanced reasoning). The authors discussed how the 2 interventions may have activated somewhat different argumentation schema in students.

This study examines the effect of goal instructions on students’ reasoning and argumentation in an interactive context (discussing a topic on-line). Goal instructions specify the goal of a discussion. General goals (to persuade or explore) were crossed with specific goals (to generate reasons or counterarguments/rebuttals) in a 3 × 3 randomized design using 224 undergraduates. The design also controlled for need for cognition, which measures dispositions to think. The goal instruction to “generate as many reasons as possible” resulted in deeper, more contingent arguments, closer to Mercer’s (1996) notion of exploratory talk, whereas the persuade goal resulted in arguments that were more adversarial and somewhat better supported. The other goals had less dramatic effects. Need for cognition also predicted total argument claims and depth. These findings have important implications for building richer interactive discussions that promote the integration of ideas.