Western Oregon University November 12, 2009 by Robert E. Mahoney

1. Alternative Cognitive Devices and the Lack of Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills Developmentally Appropriate Technology Acquisition Western Oregon University November 12, 2009 by Robert E. Mahoney

2. Background Verbal Math • High School Students unable to perform simple tasks • Excessive misuse of homophones There, They’re, and Their You’re and Your Even non-homophones such as Then and Than

3. Reports from Others • Decline in SAT scores • Is Google Making Us Stupid ? • Employers noting lack of skills • United States (Cocodia, et al, 2003) • Britain (Phillips, 2007) • 35% of college teachers note lack of readiness (Bauerlein, 2008) Indicators of Decline in Achievement

4. Government Documents • Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literacy Reading in America (Bradshaw & Nichols, 2004) • National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Indicators of Decline in Achievement

5. Out with the Old, In with the New? • Educational Testing Service • Information & Communications Technology Skills test The New Standard

6. Question arises • What is so different in the last 20 years? Alternative Cognitive Devices What is happening?

7. Alternative Cognitive Devices • The user “outsources” the cognitive task • Calculators • Spell-Check • Predictive Spelling Alternative Cognitive Devices

8. Flynn Effect Phenotypic and Genotypic Intelligence Technology & Cognition

9. Flynn Effect • James R. Flynn • Rise in intelligence test scores over time • Requires re-norming Flynn Effect

10. Gains in IQ Ancestor Paradox Flynn Effect

11. Ancestor Paradox IQ • Ancestor’s IQ • Functioned in society • Societal Change • From Concrete to Abstract IQ IQ Flynn Effect

12. Gains in IQ 3 Percentage points per decade (average) Occurred until 1990s when it stopped or reversed in many developed countries (Teasdale & Owen, 2005) Why? Flynn Effect

13. Why are any Changes Significant? • Education • Legal System • Executions (Kanaya, et al, 2003) • Walker vs. True • Social Security Mentally Impaired Classification per 1000 students, 1947-1999 (Flynn) Post Re-norm Pre Re-norm Flynn Effect

14. Commonly Cited Reasons for the Flynn Effect • Genetics insufficient to account for change • Change in Body size/Brain size (Storfer,1999) • More liberal attitude (Brand, 1987) • Nutrition • Technological changes Flynn Effect

15. Technology & Cognition • Historically linked • Switch from oral to written • Negative and positive consequences • Rewriting neural networks (Small, 2008) Technology & Cognition

16. Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge • What if one lacks the neural network? • What if one lacks the declarative knowledge? • Procedural knowledge specifies how to bring declarative knowledge to bear in problem solving (Anderson, 1997) • Over-reliance on the technology Technology & Cognition

17. Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge x2 + 11x + 28 7 + 4 7 · 4 (x + 7) (x + 4) Technology & Cognition

18. Genotypic vs. Phenotypic Intelligence • Genotypic Intelligence • Attributable to genetic causes • Phenotypic Intelligence • That which is exhibited • Genetics and the overlay of environmental factors Intelligence – Genes & Environment

19. Genotypic vs. Phenotypic Intelligence Genotypic Intelligence Decline Based upon birth rate differential Caused by a societal imbalance Lack of equal access to contraceptives and reproductive choices Fertility Rate (Number of Children per Family) Intelligence – Genes & Environment

20. Genotypic vs. Phenotypic Intelligence Flynn Effect Environmental factors no longer contribute to IQ gains Genotypic Intelligence Phenotypic Intelligence caused by the overlay of environmental factors raises IQ Intelligence – Genes & Environment

21. Reversal of the Flynn Effect Are we at the juncture wherein technology now interferes as an environmental factor thereby reducing measures of intelligence, knowledge, and learning? Reversal of the Flynn Effect

22. Reversal of the Flynn Effect • Denmark (Teasdale & Owen, 2005) • Norway (Sundet, et al, 2004) • Sweden (Emmanuelsson, et al, 1993) • Britain (Ginsburg & Coe, 2007; Shayer, 2008) • Australia (Cotton, 2005) • Not reversing in developing countries Reversal of the Flynn Effect

23. Reversal of the Flynn EffectUnited States • SAT Scores • Decline in Textbook Difficulty (Hayes, et al., 1996) • National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reversal of the Flynn Effect

24. NAEP Math Scores, 17-year-olds Note the lack of significant progress since 1992 Reversal of the Flynn Effect

25. Reversal of the Flynn Effect

26. MATH SKILL MATH SKILL Allowed Calculators (Percent Correct) Allowed Calculators (Percent Correct) Not Allowed Calculators (Percent Correct) Not Allowed Calculators (Percent Correct) Addition Addition 87.0 87.0 78.4 78.4 Subtraction Subtraction 89.2 89.2 59.7 59.7 Multiplication Multiplication 87.9 87.9 42.5 42.5 Division Division 77.1 77.1 48.3 48.3 NAEP 1999 Math Test Data Reversal of the Flynn Effect

27. What Conclusion? • It is erroneous to conclude that calculators are beneficial to understanding math • Students only show the computational proficiency with an assistive device Reversal of the Flynn Effect

28. Reversal of the Flynn Effect

29. Reversal of the Flynn Effect

30. Reversal of the Flynn Effect

31. Conclusion Alternative Cognitive Devices are likely significant environmental factors in the reduction of measures of intelligence, knowledge, and learning

32. Additional Research • The need for additional research in this area exists • Societal significance • Likely source for additional research would be developing countries • Alternative Cognitive Devices not as prevalent

33. Discussion Do you believe that technology is resulting in a reduction of higher order thinking skills? Open Discussion

34. Developmentally Appropriate Technology Acquisition Is this concept key to incorporating technology into education? Open Discussion

35. Open Discussion Open Discussion

36. Open Discussion