Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This study examined the cognitive processes of decision making in an urban high school classroom in which tenth graders analyzed scientific evidence about current issues of technology and society. A computer program, called Convince Me (Schank, Ranney & Hoadley, 1996), provided scaffolding for making evidence-based decisions for the experimental group. During the course of instruction, both the control and experimental classes completed open-ended assessments. Student progress, in using evidence to support claims and in weighing benefits and drawbacks, was mixed. Reasons for the changes in decision making are offered.