Papers for
educational software designers
Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.
Human reasoning shows stable patterns linked to learning gains
Response Variability and Stability in Human Reasoning
Abstract: Understanding how humans reason -- and how reasoning responses vary across tasks and individuals -- remains a core challenge for modeling and explanation in cognitive science. We investigate the stability of response patterns within reasoners and whether variation in these patterns can be used to predict learning effects. We introduce a formal, geometry-based method to quantify distances between individual reasoning patterns and their internal variability, grounded in heuristic theories. The proposed framework is tested against experimental data via generalized linear mixed-effects models and clustering, where we find that our proposed variation measure interacts with correctness to predict performance gains. Moreover, we find that reasoning patterns are stable over time within the same reasoner. The method is general enough to be applied to other reasoning domains.
Hybrid model aids spatial reasoning in block puzzle game
A Qualitative Model for Reasoning about Path and Support
Abstract: Spatial reasoning abilities correlate strongly with performance in STEM fields. Games offer a compelling medium for training these critical skills in developing children who have a natural proclivity for play. However, to facilitate human-like tutoring and player guidance, these games require an AI agent capable of making commonsense inferences from spatial events. Qualitative reasoning (QR) models appear to be a suitable framework for these application domains. As these models reason in symbolic representations, they can seamlessly translate game states into interpretable feedback for human-like player guidance. This paper introduces a hybrid qualitative model designed for Camelot Jr., a block-puzzle game that requires constructing multi-level bridges to connect two avatars stationed on separate towers. The game poses a challenge for the player, who must make platforms stable, plan their path, and ensure they use all the provided blocks. To handle the precise physics required by the domain, we integrate a mathematical center-of-mass stability logic to guide our qualitative solver. Our work facilitates spatial skill training in Camelot Jr. and contributes to the development of human-centric, explainable game-playing agents.