A Study on Situated Cognition: Product Dissection's Effect on Redesign Activities
Abstract
Situated cognition theory describes the context of a learning activity's effect on learner's cognition. In this paper, we use situated cognition theory to examine the effect of product dissection on product redesign activities. Two specific research questions are addressed: 1) Does situated cognition, in the form of product dissection, improve product functionality during redesign exercise?, and 2) Does situated cognition, again in the form of product dissection, affect the creativity during product redesign? In this study, three sections of first-year students in two different locations -- The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) -- performed product redesign using coffee makers. The redesigned products have been analyzed with respect to both depth (detail level) and creativity. Based on our results, we find that situated cognition, in the form of product dissection, improves product functionality during redesign and positively affects creativity. The implications of these results are also discussed.
Recommended Citation
K. Grantham et al., "A Study on Situated Cognition: Product Dissection's Effect on Redesign Activities," Advances in Engineering Education, vol. 3, no. 4, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Apr 2013.
Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Product dissection; Product redesign; Situated cognition theory
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1941-1766
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2013 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Apr 2013