Conceptual Instructions Derived From an Analysis of Device Models

Abstract

This article advances a heuristic for conceptual instruction, based on the yoked-state space (YSS) hypothesis about the contents of users’ device models (Payne, 1987a; Payne, Squibb, & Howes, 1990). The YSS hypothesis suggests that users of a system need to understand the system's representation of the task domain. Accordingly, conceptual instructions should express the mapping from device objects onto goal-space objects, especially those aspects that are not visible at the user interface. Such instructions are developed for a menu-driven computer system based on the RATES system for performing remote diagnosis of telephone lines. A simple comparative experiment shows that novices who receive these instructions learn to use RATES more quickly than novices who receive only background instruction and a brief procedural manual. These results increase empirical support for the YSS hypothesis, and, at the same time, suggest a heuristic for the design of conceptual instructions. © 1992, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.