Cognitivism and Memory Stages Quiz

Cognitivism/Cognitive Psychology

• Students learn through thinking and mental processes, not just environmental factors.
• Learning involves internal mental changes, not just outward behavior modifications.
• Learners actively engage, not passively receiving information.
• Learners try to understand new information in the context of their existing knowledge.
• Learners organize new information, often using structured wholes (Gestalt Psychology).

Memory Stages

• Encoding: Transforming sensory input into a usable memory form (e.g., associating a name with a face).
• Storage: Placing information into memory (e.g., remembering a friend's name).
• Retrieval: Recalling stored information (e.g., answering exam questions).

Three-Component Memory Model

• Critiques of a simplistic three-component memory model highlight the complexity of human memory.
• Despite limitations, the model helps understand key aspects of learning.

Sensory Register

• First stage of memory.
• Holds sensory information briefly (milliseconds to seconds).
• Has a large capacity.
• Stores information in its original sensory format (visual, auditory, etc.).

Working Memory

• Short-term memory used for active cognitive tasks (e.g., reasoning, learning).
• Information remains for 15-30 seconds without rehearsal.
• Capacity is limited (7 ± 2 items).
• Auditory encoding is common, especially for language-based information.

Long-Term Memory

• Stores information long-term (potentially a lifetime).
• Capacity is essentially limitless.
• Information is represented semantically (meaning-based), episodically (event-based), or procedurally (skills).

Attention's Role

• Attention determines sensory input processing in the sensory register.
• Attention maintains information in working memory and prevents fading.
• Attention is crucial for meaningful encoding into long-term memory.

Attention Factors

• Attention is limited and changes constantly.
• Factors influencing attention include motion, size, intensity, novelty, incongruity, social cues, emotion, and personal significance.

Maintaining Student Attention

• Vary presentation styles, provide breaks, ask questions and minimize distractions.
• Seat students near the teacher if they struggle.
• Monitor students' behavior.
• Understand cognitive load: Learners can only process a limited amount at a time.
• Students prioritize and filter learning material.

Long-Term Memory Interconnections

• Information in long-term memory is interconnected.
• This organization allows interpretation of stimuli and memory retrieval.

Long-Term Memory Storage

• Declarative (Explicit): Consciously recalled information, including:
  • Episodic: Personal experiences.
  • Semantic: General knowledge and facts.
• Non-Declarative (Implicit): Unconscious memories and automatic skills:
  • Procedural: Learned skills. (e.g., riding a bicycle, typing)

Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge

• Declarative knowledge = knowing facts, easily articulated.
• Procedural knowledge = knowing how to do things, learned through practice.

Explicit vs. Implicit Memory

• Explicit memory = consciously recalled information (facts).
• Implicit memory = unconscious memories (skills, habits).

Semantic vs. Episodic Memory

• Semantic memory = general knowledge (e.g., historical facts).
• Episodic memory = personal experiences.

Learning Strategies

• Rehearsal (Maintenance): Repeating information.
• Elaboration: Adding meaning to information.
• Meaningful Learning: Connecting new information to prior knowledge.
• Organization: Structuring information for easier recall.
• Rote Learning: Memorization without understanding.
• Automaticity: Minimal conscious effort due to practice.

Instructional Strategies

• Prior Knowledge Activation: Activates students' existing knowledge.
• Meaningful Learning Set: Prepares students to connect new information.
• Advance Organizers: Provide mental framework for new learning material.

Theories of Forgetting

• Decay: Memories fade over time.
• Interference: One memory disrupts the recall of another.
• Inhibition: Conscious blocking of memory.
• Retrieval Failure: Inability to access information.
• Construction Error: Memory distortions.
• Insufficient Self-Monitoring: Inaccurate retrieval checks.
• Consolidation Failure: Unsuccessful memory processing.
• Encoding Failure: Information never properly processed.

Concepts: Concrete, Abstract, Defining, Correlational

• Concrete: Easily identifiable physical features.
• Abstract: Involves less readily apparent similarities.
• Defining: Features are crucial for category membership.
• Correlational: Features are related but not strictly necessary.

Generalization Errors

• Undergeneralization: Failing to recognize all positive instances.
• Overgeneralization: Failing to reject all negative instances.

Types of Transfer

• Transfer: How one learning experience affects another.
  • Positive/Negative: Learning improves/hinders new task.
  • Vertical/Lateral: Builds on/uses unrelated prior knowledge.
  • Near/Far: Close/distant similarity between contexts.
  • Specific/General: Overlap in content/significant difference.

Problem Types

• Well-Defined: Clear goals, start point, and solution steps.
• Ill-Defined: Vague goals, steps, and solution methods.

Problem Solving Methods

• Algorithms: Step-by-step procedures guaranteeing a solution.
• Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for faster problem solving.