Chemistry education: Ten heuristics to tame

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

Students in our chemistry classes often generate shallow responses to our questions and problems. They fail to recognize relevant cues in making judgments and decisions about the properties of chemical substances and processes, and make hasty generalizations that frequently lead them astray. Results from research in the psychology of decision making can help us better understand how students approach chemistry tasks under conditions of limited knowledge, time, or motivation. In this contribution, I describe 10 cognitive heuristics that are often responsible for biases in student thinking. Helping students tame these heuristics may allow us to foster more meaningful learning in chemistry classrooms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1091-1097
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Chemical Education
Volume91
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 12 2014

Keywords

  • General Public
  • Learning Theories
  • Problem Solving/Decision Making

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Education

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