Role of inhibition in overcoming interferences of misconception under similar feature saliency: An eye-tracking study of the projectile motion problem

Bibliographic Details
Title: Role of inhibition in overcoming interferences of misconception under similar feature saliency: An eye-tracking study of the projectile motion problem
Authors: Yanrou Wen, Jiabei Lin, Yue Ming, Junpeng Zhang, Xianqiu Wu, Lei Bao, Keke Yu, Yang Xiao
Source: Physical Review Physics Education Research, Vol 20, Iss 2, p 020121 (2024)
Publisher Information: American Physical Society, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Special aspects of education
LCC:Physics
Subject Terms: Special aspects of education, LC8-6691, Physics, QC1-999
More Details: Misconceptions coexisting with scientific understanding pose significant challenges in physics education. Inhibitory control may enable individuals to overcome interference from misconceptions. However, discerning the role of inhibitory control becomes intricate when the saliency of scientific- and misconception-related features varies in a problem. This study investigates the role of inhibitory control in overcoming such misconceptions when scientific and misconception-related features are similarly salient, particularly focusing on the range-time (range determines flight time) misconception. We adopted a negative priming (NP) paradigm with the eye-tracking technique in the study. Thirty-six college physics majors participated in the experiment. In the NP paradigm, the participants first compared the flight times in a neutral (same range) or incongruent (longer range, less flight time) primes and then completed the same task in a congruent (longer range, more flight time) probe. Results revealed longer reaction times for incongruent primes compared to neutral primes and longer reaction times to respond to congruent probes following incongruent primes than when neutral primes were present beforehand, suggesting that the inhibitory control may be involved in overcoming the interference from the range-time misconception. Moreover, the eye-tracking analysis highlighted an early overt attention to the salient misconception-related feature (longer range) during primes, along with additional attentional investment necessary to inhibit the range-time misconception. During probes, an early shift of attention away from the salient misconception-related feature and a greater investment of attention on processing the congruent probes after the incongruent primes than that after the neutral primes were observed, indicating a possible effect of the previous inhibitory control in the primes on the subsequent cognitive process on the probes. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the cognitive process underlying physics conceptual change and provide insights into physics education.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2469-9896
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/2469-9896
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.020121
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/bab4b42089c04e9486726ae8dcd29ab3
Accession Number: edsdoj.bab4b42089c04e9486726ae8dcd29ab3
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:24699896
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.020121
Published in:Physical Review Physics Education Research
Language:English