Structural representations in knowledge acquisition.

Abstract

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and Pathfinder techniques for assessing changes in the structural representation (RP) of a knowledge (KN) domain as a function of learning were compared and evaluated. Relatedness ratings, collected from university students before and after they studied a textbook, were analyzed with both MDS and Pathfinder procedures. Relatedness ratings were collected from the students'instructors, and the similarity between the instructors' structural RPs and those of their students provided evidence of learning