Effects of multiple examples and nonexamples on learning the concept of reinforcement by undergraduate students
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Direct Instruction (DI) is awell-researched model and has been shown to be one of the most effective methods in education. We investigated the effects of some of the principles of Direct Instruction (DI) or the effects of multiple exemplar training (MET) and nonexamples to teach the concept of reinforcement to undergraduate students. Our goal was to assess the effects, both within- and between-subjects, of providing examples and nonexamples on concept learning. Student performance was more effective when training involved the presentation of multiple and varied examples and even more so, when juxtaposing nonexamples that were minimally different, rather than maximally different, from the examples presented. Our results replicate previous research and extend the applicability and effectiveness of some of the principles of Direct Instruction to higher-order concept learning in university settings. A practical implication of our results suggests that only providing a definition and an example of a concept is not sufficient for learning. For efficient teaching of concept, it is necessary to provide both multiple examples and corresponding nonexamples.
Authors: Jérôme Alessandri, Joelle Nuchadee, Constance Nikolov, Benjamin Leroy, Carlos Cançado, Vinca Rivière
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4410130945