ABSTRACT
IF-THEN rules and procedures describe how the recurrent aspects of a complex task, or, recurrent constituent skills, are correctly performed. Like SAPs (Chapter 8), rules and procedures organize the task performers’ actions in the domain of interest. In contrast to the heuristic nature of SAPs, rules and procedures are algorithmic, indicating that using the applicable rules or performing the procedural steps in the specified order guarantees that the task is correctly performed and its goal will be reached. The rules and procedures discussed in this chapter, thus, are examples of ‘strong methods.’ Their strength, however, is counterbalanced by their limited flexibility: Highly domain-specific rules ensure that familiar aspects of tasks can be correctly performed, but they are not at all useful for unfamiliar task aspects in new problem situations. For the design of instruction, the analysis of cognitive rules into IF-THEN rules or procedures serves three goals:
1. The analysis of cognitive rules yields input for the analysis of prerequisite knowledge, which describes what learners need to know in order to correctly apply the rules or correctly carry out the procedural steps (see Step 9, Chapter 12).
