Self-Explanation in Concept Learning

This abstract reports about a preliminary research relating self-explanation to theory-based categorization. Main question and method are outlined.

Self-explanation is the process of generating an explanation for oneself in the course of learning activities. Many studies showed that this process is associated with problem-solving successes (Chi et al., 1989, 1994; Pirolli and Recker, 1994). These studies considered varied kinds of learning material: worked-out example, expository text. We want to know if similar results would occur within the context of classical concept learning.

This question is put in light with the studies of Wisniewski and Medin (1994) about the interaction of theory and data in concept learning. Since people's intuitive theories have been shown to determine the kind of rules they produce to define a concept and, on the other hand, self-explanation is thought to work by relating material to be studied with pre-existing theory (VanLehn, Jones and Chi, 1992; VanLehn and Jones, 1993), it seems, that in examining the impact of self-explanation in concept learning we could learn more about the constructive process of conceptual category. Moreover, the type of concept learning task using natural-like concept like drawing made by a creative child as proposed by Wisniewski and Medin (1994) is more similar to many real-life learning situations than is artificial concept learning and we would benefit to know if the self-explanation effect can be reproduce in those learning situations.