Title

Generating a learning stance through perspective-taking in a virtual environment

Authors

Authors

R. Lindgren

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Comput. Hum. Behav.

Keywords

Perspective-taking; Learning; Virtual environments; Computer simulations; ANALOGICAL TRANSFER; PLATE-TECTONICS; EYE-MOVEMENTS; ATTENTION; STUDENTS; MODELS; REPRESENTATIONS; CONSTRUCTION; EXPERTISE; KNOWLEDGE; Psychology, Multidisciplinary; Psychology, Experimental

Abstract

Emerging media technologies such as virtual environments present a unique opportunity to examine the effects of perspective-taking on processes of human learning. In these environments it is possible for learners to immerse themselves in a unique visual perspective-such as that of a competent actor-and experience the ways they allocate their attention as they perform critical tasks in a domain. This study investigates whether the opportunity to experience a first-person perspective of actions in a virtual world simulation benefits learning compared to a third-person, disembodied perspective of those same events. Measures of performance within the simulation and post-assessment activities including a diagramming task indicate significant advantages for participants who received the first-person perspective. These participants had a better memory for the important tasks and task-related elements of the simulation; they committed fewer errors and exhibited less help-seeking behavior than participants with a third-person perspective. Results are described in terms of a virtual environment's ability to generate a learning stance through person-centered perspective-taking, and potential implications for the design of instructional computer technologies are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal Title

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume

28

Issue/Number

4

Publication Date

1-1-2012

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

1130

Last Page

1139

WOS Identifier

WOS:000304518000007

ISSN

0747-5632

Share

COinS