The catalyst center is designed to address the question: "How do people generalize knowledge?" Whether knowledge is acquired through formal schooling, technical training, or real-world experiences, its usefulness generally depends on how well it can be applied to new problems as well as new situations. Aside from very fixed and unchanging tasks where rote behaviors suffice, new circumstances routinely challenge the learner. Hence, generalization of knowledge to new situations is essential for optimal learning. Understanding generalization of knowledge is important for improving our nation's educational system as well as its ability to stay at the forefront of technological advancement. Innovation requires information learned in one domain to be applied in new and creative ways. The center will examine how we can create methods to optimize this generalization of knowledge and will test them in real-life learning situations.
The center will bring together researchers and practitioners across a wide variety of areas including psychology, education, neuroscience, computer science, cognitive science, linguistics, education, speech & hearing science, and business. The center will investigate the successes and failures of human generalization in a manner that will both extend our theoretical understanding of this issue, while at the same time supporting the development and testing of applications for optimal learning. The center will consider basic research about generalization of knowledge from four distinct approaches. The first approach examines people's behavior, considering both the situations that aid in transfer of learning, and the types of information and skills that are most easily generalized. The second approach examines the different brain systems that support learning, and considers which of them allows for the best generalization of knowledge. The third approach examines the types of information that are most easily generalized and what types of calculations can be performed on them. The fourth approach considers how generalization abilities change with development, aging, and disability.
The applied component of the center will consider generalization of knowledge across a variety of real-world domains including traditional classroom settings and informal learning situations such as museums and after-school youth programs. Practitioners in the center also utilize a variety of technological tools to aid in learning. These include educational databases for teaching about the earth and environmental sciences, computerized systems that aid school-age children in reading and writing, devices to aid individuals with who exhibit limitations due to age or disability, and virtual reality immersive environments.
To accomplish these goals, the center will support two main activities. First, it will bring together researchers across disciplines on a regular basis to exchange knowledge about how generalization of knowledge is conceptualized and addressed from their particular perspective. This program will culminate in a book, whose goal will be to provide a coherent multi-disciplinary perspective on generalization of knowledge. This book will allow what has been learned at the center to be distributed to a wider audience. The second main activity will be to take some of the ideas generated by members of the center and to try them out in real-world learning situations. The center will provide funds for these pilot projects, as well as for funds to support undergraduate and graduate students to work on the projects.
