How is running a in vivo study different from running a lab study?
To test a hypothesis requires a tightly controlled design where the only difference between experimental and control conditions is the principle being tested. For the test to be useful and trustworthy, it should meet as many of the features of an in vivo learning experiment as possible: extend realism to an existing laboratory result, extend rigor to an existing classroom result, extend generalization to a result from a different domain, use rigorous experimental design features like random assignment, use technology to provide tight control on the micro-structure of instruction, make use of fine-grained longitudinal data by analyzing second-by-second interactions happening over weeks, and code and analyze such data in terms of general cognitive theory and a specific theory of domain knowledge. It is precisely these features that PSLC allows researchers to more easily address as never before.
