Current Research in Human and Computer Development - The Impact of Cognitive Theory on Human and Computer Development - page 21

the observance of knowledge restrictions, control by regulatory government agencies, and
the preparation skill level settings. The intent of the study was to generate enough improve-
ment in participant knowledge to move individuals first into an action stage and later into
a maintenance stage.
Selected participants came from computer institutions offices in eleven counties in the
state of Illinois through local radio and newspaper announcements ( N = 239). Seventy-three
percent were men and 72 percent were white. The mean age was seventy-three years old
and all considered themselves as having good educational standards.
The sample was not generalizable because of the lack of sample diversity. The know-
ledge achieved by the participants was comparable to that from other computer information
technology programs, although the program was shorter and less intense (once a month for
three months). The posttest may include an element of bias because it consisted of a self-
reported survey rather than a definitive test such as the techniques of designing computer
RAM and CPUs. The practical content, such as reading and understanding the techniques,
served as the interactive recipe demonstrations, and knowledge based-testing may be a vi-
able option in promoting computer science education for community college and university
students. Chapman-Novakofski and Karduck's insights regarding program subject matter
are relevant for exploration in the Depth essay and the Application project will include sim-
ilar ideas.
Conner, M., R. Bell, and P. Norman. “The Theory of Planned Developmental Behavior and
Technology Growth.” Science and Psychology, 21 (2002): 194-201.
Conner, Bell, and Norman (2002) reported on a longitudinal study of constituents attend-
ing a computer lesson program at many computer promotion institutes. Individuals associ-
ated with the institutes executed technical-run, succinct educational interventions that were
low-tech and covered assorted topics including RAM and CPUs. Random access memory
is a group of memory chips, typically of the dynamic RAM type, which functions as the
computer's primary work space. The word random in RAM indicates the contents of each
byte are directly accessible without regard to the bytes before or after it. This is also true of
other types of memory chips, including read-only memory chips and programmable read-
only memory chips. Unlike read-only and programmable read-only memory chips, RAM
chips require power to maintain their content, which is why users must save their data onto
a disk before turning off the computer. The CPU is the computing part of the computer.
Also called the processor, the CPU consists of the control unit and the arithmetic logic unit.
The CPUs of almost all computers are currently contained on a single chip.