Chapter 12 page 277
PROBLEM SET #1. Evaluating belief change lessons
Based on what you have learned about teaching for belief change, evaluate the following lessons and lesson
plans. Focus on how likely they are to promote belief change. Make sure you evaluate the use of each of
the 5 instructional techniques.
PROBLEM #1a
A math teacher wanted to convince her students that they would learn more in less time if they studied in a
quiet study place. First the teacher polled the students and found that most of them believed that they
studied better if they listened to music while they were studying. Then the teacher led a discussion in which
she asked students to talk about times when people they knew strongly believed things that were actually
wrong. Many students offered examples showing that these people were very resistant even to
overwhelming evidence. The class gradually seemed to reach a consensus that it was important to be open-
minded and not to hold onto current beliefs too strongly, because those beliefs might well turn out to be
wrong. The teacher then turned to the issue of whether it was better to study in a quiet place or to study
while listening to music. The teacher asked students to design an experiment that would provide the answer
to the question. The students said that everyone should study Chapter 11 (the next chapter in the textbook)
in a quiet room and come back the next day and take a test. Then everyone should study Chapter 12 while
listening to music or while watching TV, and then again the following day they would take a test. The
students then implemented the experiment, and the results showed that the average score was 84% on the
Chapter 11 test and 78% on the Chapter 12 test. The teacher assumed that students would now be
convinced that they would learn more if they studied in a quiet room than if they studied while listening to
music.
MY ANSWER:
A. Foster a general commitment to making beliefs consistent with evidence. The teacher does
some of this in the discussion in which students discuss their resistance to overwhelming evidence. It is
encouraging that the class raeach a consensus on the importance of open-mindedness. However, it is likely
that the teacher will need to have such discussions regularly (not just once) to have any kind of effect.
B. Teach students about the principles of reasoning that they need to know to evaluate evidence
properly. There is no indication that the teacher discussed the appropriate way to conduct experiments
with students.
C. Present a clear explanation of a plausible alternative theory. Nowhere does it say that the
teacher gave a psychological explanation that would seem plausible to the students.
D. Provide lots of convincing evidence. This is just one study—not nearly enough. In addition, it
is very ambiguous. Students can reasonably conclude that Chapter 12 was a lot harder, so that the harder
chapter (rather than listening to music) is the reason for the lower performance.
E. Promote deep processing. The class discussions are good in that they tend to promote deep
processing.
Overall, this lesson is unlikely to promote belief change. The deficiencies in (D) and (C) are
overwhelming. The deficiencies in (B) and (A) are also problematic.