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The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias
written by Simon P. Bates, Ross K. Galloway, Jonathan Parker, and Evguenia Usoskina
Inspired by a paper at last year's PERC conference, in which Rebello [1] compared students' individual and cohort mean score estimations with their actual assessment scores, we present results of a study in which students in an introductory physics class were asked to predict their scores on two assessments, one delivered at the start of the course (pre-instruction) and one at the end of the course (post-instruction). Our results show that, pre-instruction, the academically strongest students tend to underestimate their score slightly, whereas the weakest overestimate their performance significantly, consistent with the findings of Rebello and demonstrating a well-known cognitive bias (the Dunning-Kruger effect). Post-instruction, we find that the ability of the original weakest quartile cohort to accurately predict their own assessment score has improved significantly, but a flux of students between quartiles from one assessment to the other reveals that the least able students continue to over-estimate their performance, but with a reduced mean discrepancy. We discuss the implications these results have for instruction and for development of enhanced metacognition amongst physics students.
Physics Education Research Conference 2012
Part of the PER Conference series
Philadelphia, PA: August 1-2, 2012
Volume 1513, Pages 138-141
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education - Basic Research
- Assessment
= Self Assessment
- Cognition
- Problem Solving
= Metacognition
- Student Characteristics
= Skills
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
PER-Central Type Intended Users Ratings
- PER Literature
- Researchers
- Professional/Practitioners
- Educators
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Formats:
application/pdf
non-digital
Mirror:
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4789671
Access Rights:
Free access and
Available for purchase
A preprint of the work is available. A hard copy of the PERC 2012 proceedings is available for purchase from the AIP.
Restriction:
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
DOI:
10.1063/1.4789671
PACSs:
01.40.Fk
01.40.gb
Keywords:
PERC 2012, introductory physics, student learning
Record Cloner:
Metadata instance created November 2, 2025 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
November 2, 2025 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
January 24, 2013
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Record Link
AIP Format
S. Bates, R. Galloway, J. Parker, and E. Usoskina, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120).
AJP/PRST-PER
S. Bates, R. Galloway, J. Parker, and E. Usoskina, The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120>.
APA Format
Bates, S., Galloway, R., Parker, J., & Usoskina, E. (2012, August 1-2). The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved November 7, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120
Chicago Format
Bates, S, R. Galloway, J. Parker, and E. Usoskina. "The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120 (accessed 7 November 2025).
MLA Format
Bates, Simon, Ross Galloway, Jonathan Parker, and Evguenia Usoskina. "The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias." Physics Education Research Conference 2012. Philadelphia, PA: 2012. 138-141 Vol. 1513 of PER Conference. 7 Nov. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{ Author = "Simon Bates and Ross Galloway and Jonathan Parker and Evguenia Usoskina", Title = {The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2012}, Pages = {138-141}, Address = {Philadelphia, PA}, Series = {PER Conference}, Volume = {1513}, Month = {August 1-2}, Year = {2012} }
Refer Export Format

%A Simon Bates %A Ross Galloway %A Jonathan Parker %A Evguenia Usoskina %T The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias %S PER Conference %V 1513 %D August 1-2 2012 %P 138-141 %C Philadelphia, PA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Bates, Simon %A Galloway, Ross %A Parker, Jonathan %A Usoskina, Evguenia %D August 1-2 2012 %T The effect of research-based instruction in introductory physics on a common cognitive bias %B Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %C Philadelphia, PA %V 1513 %P 138-141 %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17198&DocID=6120


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