Training Consistent Components of Tasks: Developing an Instructional System Based on Automatic/Controlled Processing Principles

The research evaluated the effectiveness of rule-based versus single-step (non-rule-based) approaches to training skills in a classroom setting. Trainees received three days of either rule-based or single-step instruction on base-5 arithmetic skills. Achievement tests were administered after each instructional unit, and trainees' self-assessment of learning was also measured. The trainees' ability to transfer the classroom instruction to a speed-stressed verification task (determining the correctness of equations) was assessed. After rule-based instruction trainees were better able to assess their readiness for promotion to a higher level of instruction. The rule-based instruction also facilitated transfer to the verification task. The implications of automatic/controlled processing theory for providing theoretical and practical underpinnings for the development of instructional systems design are discussed.