Self-observation and learning: the effect of watching oneself on problem solving performance

Abstract Two experiments examined the effects of videotape feedback and self-observation on children’s problem solving. The first experiment examined children’s performance on the Tower of Hanoi problem, and demonstrated that video self-observation promotes the acquisition and transfer of procedural knowledge necessary for problem solving. The study also found that specific information presented during the video presentation was not as important as the children seeing their actual prior performance on the problem. The second experiment examined the type of information that may be operative during self-observation. These findings narrow the range of possible explanations for learning through self-observation and, in general, suggest that the positive effect of self-observation is due to active observation of one’s own actual performance.

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