Epistemic actions

Overview

“Epistemic actions—physical actions that make mental computation easier, faster, or more reliable—are external actions that an agent performs to change his or her own computation state” as defined by Kirsh and Maglio (1994) in a study done showing how Tetris can be solved by performing actions out in the world than inside of the head. Essentially, epistemic actions are the things that acts or actions performed that aids in reducing the cognitive processing required to complete a task or solve a problem, a way to use the environment to help alleviate extraneous cognitive load. As it is a physical performance that happens in an external environment that aids cognition, it is a concept that has largely been discussed with regards to both embedded cognition, which “refers to the adaptive flexibility of cognitive processes during interaction with the environment” (Pouw, van Gog, and Paas, 2014); and embodied cognition which is a perspective that believes “cognitive processes are deeply rooted in the body’s interactions with the world” (Wilson, 2002).

Evidence

Kirsh and Maglio studied players playing the interactive video game of Tetris where they in order to better understand and differentiate between actions that complete a task with pragmatic actions “bring the agent closer to his or her physical goals,” and epistemic actions that leveraged the environment to off-load cognitive processing. What they found was that as the Tetris shapes came down, in order to problem-solve if the shape is going to fit the already established blocks that have fallen, the advanced players rotated and translated the Tetris shapes physically rather than mentally more times than the less advanced players to decide which of the shapes would best fit and how would the blocks would best fit (Pouw, van Gog, and Paas, 2014). So rather than mentally solving what kind of shape fits at the bottom of the screen along with the already fallen block in their minds, the players let the physical rotation and translation of the shape aid their problem-solving.

Wilson cites another example of epistemic actions from a 1997 study that recorded eye movements of participants who were asked to rearrange and reproduce colored blocks on a computer using randomly scattered blocks and dragging them into a designated area to arrange them all while under time constraints. The study showed that the participants’ eye movements referred back to the model colored blocks during strategic moments such as the color of the block and its placement in the order (2002). So instead of remembering the entire color pattern and order of the blocks, they used the model pattern and referred to it as needed.

Design Implications

Epistemic actions can have a great effect on multimedia learning design because of the operability of the lessons and the structure of presentation of the lesson and the accompanying tasks and activities. Epistemic actions use the environment and physical actions to offload cognitive processing, so it relies on accessibility and ability for learners to manipulate things in order to learn. For example, clicking on an image or a graphic that can then be enlarged is a type of epistemic action because it gives better access to see the image in a much higher resolution instead of trying to decipher information because it may be compressed beyond legibility. Or having the ability to pause or rewind a video to a designated spot helps to release the pressure of remembering everything and immediately applying it. Many of the multimedia learning design principles that have been covered in past discussions are also good areas to consider for epistemic actions, such as the segmenting principle, because it is something that the user can control. Additionally, something like the signaling principle can direct learners to where their eyes can strategically move so that they do not have to determine where they can minimize the time it takes to find an important piece of information on the page or the screen.

Challenges

Though epistemic actions can be designed on and made efficient with thoughtful design, the biggest challenge it faces is the disposition and current learning state of the learner at the center of the whole design. And, more pressingly, the ways in which the tasks and opportunities are presented to them. In other words, if the learner does not have sufficient prior knowledge or the lesson or activity presented to them is designed terribly, then the actions that would help to offload cognitive processing would not be as effective. Especially when it comes to use of online and digital tools, what could be anticipated as routes for epistemic actions (such as the clicking to enlarge an image or pausing a video), would not be utilized if the learner is not aware of how to use the tool or the platform or is not aware of how it could be beneficial to them.