| Generating explanations and making comparisons are cognitive processes that can have powerful effects on learning. Self-explanation and comparison can be interconnected; however, cognitive scientists have typically studied these processes independently. As a result, the relationship between explanation and comparison is not well understood. My dissertation research integrates aspects of the explanation and comparison literatures by examining how explanation and comparison might complement each other and work together to support learning.;I start by posing several questions regarding the nature of the relationship between explanation and comparison. I then review research on the mechanisms underlying explanation and comparison processes and how engaging in these processes can enhance learning. After reviewing each process individually, I discuss the results of studies that have examined the effects of explanation and comparison on the same experimental task. I then present my dissertation research, which consists of two sets of experiments that investigated the relationship between explanation and comparison and how these processes might interact to support learning.;Experiment Set ;In Experiment Set ;Both sets of experiments provide evidence for a relationship between explanation and comparison, but inconsistent patterns of results within and across these two sets of experiments suggest that more work is needed to understand when, why, and how explanation and comparison interact to support learning. |
