Cognitive development in undergraduate emerging adults: How course-taking breadth supports skill formation

IF 3.9 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATIONAL

Contemporary Educational Psychology Pub Date : 2023-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023.102206

Gabe Avakian Orona , Jacqueline Sue Eccles , Steffen Zitzmann , Christian Fischer , Richard Arum

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Theories of cognitive development among emerging adults posit that environmental and age-related influences are responsible for individual differences in complex reasoning abilities. Exposure to and engagement with a diverse set of ideas and perspectives is stipulated to provide a context for which individuals are positioned to coordinate, integrate, and form new abstractions. This notion is implicit in the general education and elective requirements of university programs. In this study, we draw upon the cognitive psychology literature on emerging adult development to examine how intellectual breadth via course-taking patterns relates to gains in cognitive skills. Using recently collected longitudinal data of undergraduates enrolled at a large public university, we leverage a unique set of cognitive measures that tap a string of related constructs. We find moderate associations between intellectual breadth and reasoning skills, with notable differences across cognitive dimensions. Additionally, intellectual curiosity moderates the association between course breadth and cognition. Implications for theories of intellectual development are discussed in relation to undergraduate experiences.

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本科新生成人的认知发展:修课广度如何支持技能形成

初生成人的认知发展理论认为，环境和年龄相关的影响是造成复杂推理能力个体差异的原因。接触和参与各种各样的想法和观点是为了提供一个环境，让个人能够协调、整合和形成新的抽象。这一概念隐含在大学课程的通识教育和选修要求中。在这项研究中，我们借鉴认知心理学文献关于新兴成人发展来研究如何通过课程学习模式的智力广度与认知技能的收益。利用最近收集的一所大型公立大学本科生的纵向数据，我们利用一套独特的认知测量方法，挖掘一系列相关的构念。我们发现智力广度和推理能力之间存在适度关联，但在认知维度上存在显著差异。此外，求知欲调节了课程广度与认知之间的关系。智力发展理论的含义讨论与本科经历的关系。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Contemporary Educational Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATIONAL-

CiteScore

16.50

自引率

3.90%

发文量

期刊介绍： Contemporary Educational Psychology is a scholarly journal that publishes empirical research from various parts of the world. The research aims to substantially advance, extend, or re-envision the ongoing discourse in educational psychology research and practice. To be considered for publication, manuscripts must be well-grounded in a comprehensive theoretical and empirical framework. This framework should raise critical and timely questions that educational psychology currently faces. Additionally, the questions asked should be closely related to the chosen methodological approach, and the authors should provide actionable implications for education research and practice. The journal seeks to publish manuscripts that offer cutting-edge theoretical and methodological perspectives on critical and timely education questions. The journal is abstracted and indexed in various databases, including Contents Pages in Education, Australian Educational Index, Current Contents, EBSCOhost, Education Index, ERA, PsycINFO, Sociology of Education Abstracts, PubMed/Medline, BIOSIS Previews, and others.