Mathematics education

Cognitive psychology

Neuroscience

Group work

Cognition

Computer science

Organic chemistry

Psychology

Socially distributed cognition

Motor cognition

Artificial intelligence

Chemistry

Perspective (graphical)

Group (periodic table)

Social cognition

Journal of Educational Computing Research

Group cognition is a cognitive science concept that studies how groups think, learn, and work. Most research investigates group cognition as a qualitative-oriented phenomenon. From a quantitative perspective, this research proposes a measure equation of group cognition, conducts empirical research during online collaborative problem-solving, and uses multiple quantitative methods to examine group cognition complemented with qualitative microanalysis. Specifically, social network analysis, behavioral pattern analysis, and quantitative content analysis are used to measure three groups’ group cognition. Results show that only one group successfully develops group cognition through synergistic coordination of social, behavioral, and cognitive activities. Students in the other two groups either take separate responsibilities to cooperate or have unequal participations, which indicates an inadequacy of group cognition. The extent that three groups develop group cognition is consistent with the order of groups’ final performance scores. Research analytical and pedagogical implications are provided to advance research and practice of group cognition.

Development of Group Cognition in Online Collaborative Problem-Solving Processes