Wittrock, M.C. (1992). Generative process of the brain. Educational Psychologist, 27, 531-541.

Author basically compares his theory with other information processing like theories. I am putting his comparison in a table to compare them

Theory of Generative Brain Functioning

Other Cognitive Theories of Storage of Information - Information Processing Models

Generating Relations

Storing Information (aka structural models)

Actively/dynamically selectively attend to events

Generate meaning for events by constructing relations between new or incoming information

  

Two types of relationships are formed:

  1. Generating relations between concepts
  2. Generating relations between experience or prior knowledge and new information

Teaching comprehension involves leading the learner to these two

Production Side:

Concentrates on the process of retrieval

and therefore on structures that determine retrieval, without concentrating on generating.

Functional model concentrates on

  1. Learning processes ex. Attention voluntary, and involuntary
  2. Motivational process - attribution, arousal, activation
  3. Knowledge creation processes - preconception, concepts, beliefs
  4. Generation - Analogies, metaphors, summaries

Concentrates on structural properties of knowledge (like rules, procedures)
   
   

Wittrock claims the model was built on neural brain research and then draws on Luria's Model to justify generative learning.

  1. Arousal - Attention - Signals are perceived and sometimes changed even before they reach the particular spot on the brain
  2. Meaning is constructed in multiple ways. By organizing stimuli into coherent sequences and patterns that reflect the learners knowledge and experiences
  3. Planning, organizing, regulations of cognition and behavior or intentions and purposes of the learner plays an important role.

Author also discusses why schema theory (Rumelhart) does not address everything, by suggesting that schema is general information and scripts store specific information. But schema theory implies slotting new information into schema.

Connectionism and associations also do not explain everything.

Generative approach - verbal analytic ability as well as holistic imagery ability.

Instructional Tactics:

Summaries

Analogies

Read

Story generation

Combining past experiences with new information

Argumentation or reflection