ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews important basic processes – perception, attention, and memory. It focuses on applied research – research that takes what the authors know about basic processes and applies them to real-life educational questions and settings. The book focuses on evidence from cognitive psychology, because that is people area of expertise. It talks about different types of research evidence about learning, and how it evolves from the lab to the classroom. The book also talks about why using one's own intuition about how people learn can be problematic. Relying upon intuition, rather than science, can also lead people to latch on to false positives. The book deals with pervasive misunderstandings in education, where they come from, and how people might be able to overcome them. The book shows to help open up the lines of communication between researchers, teachers, and students.
