Technology holds enormous potential to transform learning but truly fulfilling that potential requires applying evidence-based insights on cognition, motivation and behaviour. So here are 27 psychological concepts for the effective implementation of ed-tech strategies:
1. Von Restorff Effect:
Novel, distinctive items stand out against more routine elements and are more likely remembered. Insert occasional unexpected moments into digital learning to command attention.
2. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD):
Target content just beyond learners’ current skill levels, without so far exceeding abilities as to overwhelm. High-quality adaptive learning tools can help assess each individual’s ZPD and progressively dial in personalized challenges.
3. Flow Theory:
When people are immersed in a challenging task with clear goals matched to their capabilities, they can enter a gratifying mental state of fluid focus and engagement known as flow. Well-designed simulations, games and challenges within digital environments can help spark this optimal motivational state.
4. Picoeconomics:
People overweigh small measurable gains or losses versus inferred larger, abstract ones. Highlight micro-advances from the effort to tap into this irrational tendency.
5. Cueing Effect:
Overtly drawing attention to essential concepts and ideas students need to retain boosts the likelihood this information reaches long-term memory storage. Techniques like bolding key terms, providing brief summaries of takeaways, concept maps and graphic organizers leverage this effect.
6. Interference Theory:
When learning environments feature competing stimuli clamouring for attention simultaneously with core content, retention and transfer can be inhibited. Allow learners to minimize open tabs, streamline on-screen views, and mute superfluous notifications if they so choose.
7. Illusory Truth Effect:
Merely repeating statements makes them seem truer, irrespective of actual accuracy or evidence. Carefully curate examples and illustrations included in edtech tools to avoid enabling misconceptions through inadvertent repetition.
8. Discovery Learning:
Insights learners actively derive through their own exploration generally stick better long-term than those simply handed to them through passive reception. Build environments that let artificial intelligence offer judicious hints rather than give away answers outright to support productive struggle.
9. Expectancy-Value Theory:
Motivation depends significantly on whether students value predicted learning outcomes and expect to successfully achieve them through reasonable effort. Showcase how desired capabilities unlocked through your tools empower access to real opportunities people care about.
10. Self-Efficacy:
An individual’s belief in their own abilities to comprehend concepts, master skills and then successfully apply them greatly informs what they set out to achieve. Provide a series of thoughtfully scaffolded challenges with just-in-time feedback to steadily build learners’ confidence in their efficacy.
11. Situated Cognition Theory:
When content feels disconnected from authentic situations and contexts learners are familiar with from lived experience, comprehension suffers. Anchor instruction firmly to realistic application opportunities to provide meaning beyond rote symbols.
12. Contrast Effect:
The same experience feels more intense when compared to a more muted one prior and less intense when following a more extreme one. Structure learning journeys strategically using this principle to amplify impact. For example, precede an exciting simulation with textbook reading.
13. Goal Gradient Effect:
As people near the end target line of a goal, extra motivation often surges. Create built-in sub-goals and milestones along the longer journey towards mastery to activate this extra psychological boost at key moments.
14. Zeigarnik Effect:
Unfinished tasks and unmet goals linger prominently in memory. Promote content digestion through cliffhanger questions prompting the next session rather than forced task completion quotas.
15. Diagnosis Bias:
Once formed, first impressions colour subsequent assessments. Allow for clean slates rather than forcing past academic or behavioural data to define student potential without consent.
16. Dunning-Kruger Effect:
People with lower ability tend to overestimate their competence, while those with higher ability underestimate theirs. Design feedback systems accounting for this miscalibration - reinforce strengths while gently guiding development without damaging self-confidence.
17. Paradox of Choice:
When presented with too many options and features to parse, people freeze up, overwhelmed about what path forward aligns with their interests and needs. Guide learners in filtering volumes by assessing needs and personalizing within reason.
18. Peak-End Rule:
People judge an experience disproportionately by the intensity of the most affectively salient moments (peak) and how they felt at the very end (end). Design tech-enhanced learning journeys strategically to make these final, culminating moments feel empowering.
19. Transactional Distance Theory:
Geographic separation between instructors and learners and psychological distance between all parties including the instructional content itself must be proactively mitigated online to prevent disengagement. Build in varied communication channels and course structures fostering productive dialogue.
20. Conation:
Actively thinking about applying acquired knowledge and skills to impact situations sticks better long-term than passive receipt alone. Embed frequent reflection prompts pushing learners to consider: How specifically will I use this moving forward?
21. Contiguity Principle:
When corresponding words and images are tightly integrated rather than cryptically disconnected, learning mechanisms can operate more smoothly with limited working memory capacity freed up for higher-order comprehension.
22. Testing Effect:
Retrieval practice through low-stakes self-quizzes and other formats of actively recalling recently covered information have proven superior for boosting retention compared to simply restudying the material. Build a spectrum of testing options natively into platforms.
23. Social Cognitive Theory:
Develop digital environments enabling observation of collaborative peer learning unfolding, supporting collective mastery through communities refining understanding in dialogue rather than isolated efforts.
24. Embodied Cognition:
When relevant, craft tactile, tangible connections linking concepts metaphorically to memorable sensations and physical experiences to leverage sensory-rich encoding mechanisms for sticking power.
25. Gamification:
When thoughtfully incorporated, points, scores, goal-setting, friendly competition and rewards like badges or unlockable achievements can drive participation and motivation through our innate response to games - but potential addiction requires caution.
26. Conferencing Paradox:
Real-time discussion and collaborative problem-solving can amplify learning yet limit massive scalability. For larger enrollments, explore a hybrid solution - brief small group video breakouts enabling interactivity while preserving recorded lecture efficiency.
27. Expertise Reversal Effect:
Techniques beneficial for novice learners like worked examples can lose effectiveness or even have negative consequences impeding the challenge necessary for advanced students to progress further. Strive to assess individual levels and needs to determine appropriate scaffolding.
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Bechem, great monograph. Although the target audience is edtech folks, your strategies could be mapped to the business sector--specifically to sales and customer-facing roles. I hope your insights gain traction outside the edtech sector. Your work is universally applicable, whether Africa, Europe, Asia, or the America’s. Are there kindred spirits on Substack that could meld their sector’s needs with your framework? Thanks again for your valued insights.