Reaching Higher Levels of Cognition Using Publications.

Publications are used extensively by adult and rural educational organizations, including Extension, to educate people when face-to-face contact is not possible or when adjunct instruction is necessary or useful. Yet, very little research has been conducted regarding the level of cognition that is achieved after reading publications. Using the Newcomb-Trefz Model of Cognition, an experiment was designed to determine the effect of two, four-page publications on Extension clientele’s cognition. Results demonstrated that the subjects learned from Extension publications and achieved higher-levels of cognition. Cognition was not highly correlated with education level. Higher correlations were seen between cognition and education level for the control groups than for treatment groups. With the tremendous amount of information available via the information superhighway, Extension should concentrate on producing media that have an educational edge in enhancing cognition. Publications are used extensively by adult and unifying conceptual framework (Grabowski, 1988). rural educational organizations, incl uding Extension, Part of the problem with instructional medi a to educate people when face-to-face contact is not research stems from its boom and bust nature. possible or when adjunct instruction is necessary or Researchers rush to work with new technologies as useful. Yet, very little research has been conducted they are introduced, seeing a new medium as a regarding the level of cognition that i s achieved after panacea for all previous media’s instructional ills . reading publications. Studies that have bee n Initially, gains are demonstrated when using the new conducted have dealt with classroom texts an d media, because of the novelty effect and generall y publications, not media used in nonformal high quality materials are produced to accompany education. While Extension is a strong leader i n the media. As the gains decrease and the fiel d adult and continuing education (Prawl, Medlin, & becomes disenchanted with the medium, the tide of Gross, 1984), no studies have focused on cognition research wanes to a trickle (Clark & Salomon , or retention achieved from reading Extension 1987). While research in this field has weaknesses, publications.