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Kristin Knipfer

[Person] [Project]

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Kristin Knipfer, Dipl. Psych.

Short Vita

1980:

Born in Nürnberg (Germany)

1999-2005:

Study of Psychology at the University of Regensburg (Germany)

04/2005:

Graduation in Psychology at the University of

Regensburg (Germany).

Thesis: "Studieren im Netz: Eine Studie zum Einfluss von

Instruktionsart und motivationalen/affektiven Lernermerkmalen

auf Lernprozess und Lernergebnis"

[Virtual university: The impact of instruction and individual

differences in motivation and emotion on learning

and achievement]

05-07/2005:

Research assistant at the Department of Educational

and Media Psychology at the University of Regensburg

(Implementation of distance learning in further training

of career and education advisory service at school)

Since August 2005:

PhD student of the VGK

Contact

Phone: ++49 (0) 7071 / 979 301
FAX: ++49 (0) 7071 / 979 100
email: k.knipfer@iwm-kmrc.de
WWW: My homepage

Universität Tübingen
Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Kognitionspsychologie und Medienpsychologie
Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 40
D-72072 Tübingen (Germany)

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Ph.D. Project

Topic: Knowledge Acquisition and Opinion Formation in Science Museums: The Role of a Discussion Terminal for Collaborative Elaboration on Controversial Issues.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. F. W. Hesse (Tübingen)

Start of the Ph.D. project: 08/2005

Summary

Today, science museums are challenged by communicating current and highly controversial science and technology issues. Beyond presenting objects, facts and figures, they have to give visitors the opportunity to participate in public debates (Pedretti, 2006). When people are actively engaged in judging a controversial topic, relevant knowledge should be better and more accessible than for people who only visited the exhibition passively as recipient of information (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986; Reimann & Zumbach, 2001; Spies, 1994). In my dissertation project, I will focus on the potentials of discussion terminals to give the opportunity for active engagement. At this terminal, the museum visitor will look at nanotechnology from multiple perspectives and express his personal opinion about this topic. Additionally, feedback is provided about other visitors' opinions. This can create "powerful learning opportunities, as the visitors struggle with multiple viewpoints and diverse value perspectives" (Pedretti, 2006, p. 30). Additionally, according to social comparison theory, people tend to evaluate their own opinions by using similar others as models (Festinger, 1954; Suls, Martin, & Wheeler, 2004). Therefore, the impact of other visitors' opinion on learning and opinion formation is considered.

On basis of these theoretical considerations it is assumed that the implementation of such a discussion terminal is beneficial for knowledge acquisition and opinion formation. My main research questions are:

1. Does salience of relevant arguments and expressing one's own opinion enhance elaboration on controversial issues?
2. Can availability of social comparison information foster elaboration of arguments?

A study was designed to investigate whether such a discussion terminal can support deep elaboration of controversial information and formation of well-founded opinions in visitors. It is assumed that the salience of controversial information, the possibility to express one's own opinion, and social comparison information are all crucial factors for both learning and opinion formation. The impact of these three independent variables on elaboration processes and knowledge acquisition will be tested in a 2x2x2-design. It is expected that elaboration of information will be deeper if relevant information is salient and opinion exchange is possible (belief-based model of attitude formation, Rosenberg, 1956). Therefore, visitors who actively interact with the discussion terminal will remember more controversial (and attitude relevant) information from the exhibition, will show more sophisticated opinions, and will be able to produce better arguments for their personal opinion. Social comparison information and opinion exchange should further stimulate elaboration of arguments and evaluation of visitors' own opinion, especially if a cognitive conflict between one's own opinion and others' opinions is elicited. This cognitive conflict should elicit elaboration of others' arguments for their personal opinion and therefore further support knowledge acquisition and opinion formation (Chan, Burtis, & Bereiter, 1997; Lowry & Johnson, 1981; Piaget, 1985).

References

Chan, C., Burtis, J., & Bereiter, C. (1997). Knowledge building as a mediator of conflict in conceptual change. Cognition and Instruction, 15 (1), 1-40.

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117-40.

Lowry, N. & Johnson, D. W. (1981). Effects of controversy on epistemic curiosity, achievement, and attitudes. Journal of Social Psychology, 115, 31-43.

Pedretti, E. (2006). Learning about science through science centre exhibitions. Paper presented at the International Science Museum and Science Teaching and Learning conference, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, March, 2006.

Petty, R. E. & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and persuasion. Central and peripheral routes to attitude change. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Reimann, P. & Zumbach, J. (2001). Design, Diskurs und Reflexion als zentrale Elemente virtueller Seminare. [Design, discourse, and reflection as central elements of virtual seminars.] In F. Hesse & F. Friedrich (Eds.), Partizipation und Interaktion im virtuellen Seminar (pp. 135-163). München: Waxmann.

Rosenberg, M. J. (1956). Cognitive structure and attitudinal affect. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 53, 367-372.

Spies, K. (1994). Einfluss von emotionalem Gehalt und Ichbezug des Lernmaterials auf die Behaltensleistung. [Effects of self-reference and affective value of the learning material on memory performance]. Zeitschrift für Experimentelle und Angewandte Psychologie 41 (4), 617-630.

Suls, J., Martin, R., & Wheeler, L. (2000). Three kinds of opinion comparison: The triadic model. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4 (3), 219-237.

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Publications

Conference Presentations and Talks

Knipfer, K. (2006). The learning potential of an asynchronous discussion tool in informal learning settings. Paper presented at the ICLS' 2006 Doctoral Consortium, June, 26-28, University of Indiana, Bloomington.

Knipfer, K. (2006). The learning potential of an asynchronous discussion tool in informal learning settings. Ph.D. project presented at the Doctoral Colloquium of the Centre for Research on Computer Supported Learning and Cognition, March, 30th, University of Sydney.

Knipfer, K., Mayr, E., & Hesse, F. W. (2006). The role of media for learning in museums. Paper presented at the Workshop "ICT-supported informal learning in museums and cultural heritage sites: Building the research agenda", March, 29th, University of Sydney.

Mayr, E., Knipfer, K., & Hesse, F. W. (2006). Learning in museums: Methodological considerations. Paper presented at the Workshop "ICT-supported informal learning in museums and cultural heritage sites: Building the research agenda", March, 29th, University of Sydney.

Poster Presentations

Knipfer, K. (2006). Knowledge Acquisition and Opinion Formation at the Museum: The Role of a Media Terminal to Support (Collaborative) Elaboration on Controversial Issues. Poster presented at the Workshop "CSCL and Group Cognition", October, 25-27, Tübingen.

Knipfer, K. (2006). Knowledge Acquisition and Opinion Formation at the Museum: The Role of a Media Terminal to Support (Collaborative) Elaboration on Controversial Issues. Poster presented at the Autumn School 2006 "Improving Computer-mediated Learning and Collaborative Work: Which are the promising Concepts", October, 02-05, Münster.

Stiller, K., Lukesch, H., Berner, M., Bichler, B. & Knipfer, K. (2007). Description, Didactics and Evaluation of an Online-Course about Media Psychology. Poster presentation on the 9th International General Online Research Conference in Leipzig, Germany, 26.-28.03.2007.

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Last update 16 Jan 2007
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