Psychology Chapter 7: Information Processing

Information Processing Approach

• Analyzes how children manage, monitor, and strategize information handling.
• Cognitive development enhances through overcoming limitations, executing operations, and acquiring new knowledge.

Cognitive Resources

• Capacity and speed of processing significantly impact memory and problem-solving abilities.
• Biological developments in brain structures and neurons (blooming, pruning, myelination) are crucial.
• Increased processing capacity allows handling multiple aspects of topics or problems simultaneously.

Processing Speed Influences

• Processing speed is linked to the ability to utilize information effectively.
• Faster processing correlates with better cognitive task performance and higher reading fluency.

Assessing Processing Speed

• Common assessments include reaction-time tasks where individuals respond to stimuli or match letters/numbers to symbols.
• Processing speed improves throughout childhood, often preceding increases in working memory capacity.

Siegler's Mechanisms for Cognitive Skill Changes

• Encoding: Involves the process of transferring information into memory, reliant on skill in focusing on relevant details.
• Automaticity: Ability to process information with minimal effort is enhanced through practice.
• Strategy Construction: Development of new methods for processing information.

Self Modification in Cognitive Processing

• Children adapt responses to new situations based on previous learning experiences.
• This process relies on metacognition, or awareness of one's own cognition.

Piaget vs. Siegler

• Information processing approach shares constructivist elements with Piaget.
• Unlike Piaget, it views cognitive development as a gradual process rather than distinct stages, focusing more on continuous change.

Attention

• Attention, the focusing of mental resources, is key to enhancing cognitive processing.

Attention Allocation Types

• Selective Attention: Concentrating on relevant details while ignoring distractions.
• Divided Attention: Managing multiple activities simultaneously.
• Sustained Attention: Maintaining focus on a specific stimulus over a prolonged period.
• Executive Attention: Involves planning, allocating goals, monitoring progress, and managing challenges.

Early Attention Development

• In the first year, attention is characterized by an orienting investigative process.
• This process involves focusing on significant environmental locations (where) and recognizing object features (what).

Importance of Sustained Attention for Infants

• Sustained attention enables infants to learn and remember stimulus characteristics as they become familiarized.
• By three months, infants can maintain attention for 5-10 seconds on familiar stimuli.