Test 3 Study Guide CH 7 9 CH 7 1 Information Processing Approach a Mind is a complex symbol manipulating system Information flows through the mind like a computer i ii Encoding Recoding Decoding Researchers can track physical patterns and movements b Computer like diagrams are used to analyse thinking into it s components and to map the steps involved in thinking c This approach breaks cognition down precisely into it s components It has helped a lot with teaching strategies that are more effective for how children think However the computer model does not reflect the richness of human thought and real life learning experiences It does not teach us about the connection between cognition and other areas d System Store Model A model of information processing system i 3 stores 1 Sensory registry Represents sights and sounds and stores them briefly Can either store in short term memory or produce a response to the stimulus 2 Working Short term memory Holds a limited amount of information that facilitates memory and problem solving Stores and retrieves important info from long term memory 3 Long term memory Stores permanent memory that can be retrieved at any time ii We use mental strategies to operate on and transform information as it flows through the system Central Executive iii 1 Part of the mind that is conscious and coordinates incoming information with information that is already in our system 2 Controls attention 3 Selects applies and monitors the effectiveness of strategies 4 Directs the flow of information and controls the procedures and strategies we use ii iii iv v i ii iii i ii 5 The more effectively we process information the greater likelihood that they will become autonomic processes and transfer to our long term memory e Several aspects of the cognitive system improve with age i The capacity of our working memory 1 Maxes out around age 30 The speed of processing Executive functioning Gaining attention suppressing impulses flexible thinking and resisting distractions Also influenced by genetics and enviormental factors They can eventually handle increasingly difficult tasks 2 Developmental Theories of Information Processing a Neo Piagetian Theory Accepts Piaget s stages but suggests change between and within stages is a result of greater efficiency of the working memory capacity Suggests increase in working memory capacity is a result of change as a result of 1 Brain development Neural growth synaptic pruning and myelination 2 Practice with schemas and automatization 3 Central conceptual structures Networks of concepts and relations that permit more advanced thought in a wide range of situations Information processing is a continuum of acquisition understanding appear in specific situations at different times which accounts for the unevenness in cognitive development b Siegler s Model of Strategy Choice Children s experimentation and selection of mental strategies accounts for differences and changes in children s thinking Evolutionary Perspective 1 Variation When a given problem generates a variety of strategies 2 Selection Gradually select those leading to a better outcome in terms of accuracy and speed 3 Leads to adaptive problem solving techniques iii Use of less efficient strategies leads to the development of more efficient strategies Strategy development follows an overlapping wave pattern iv v When presented with challenging problems children will generate a variety of strategies and gradually narrow them down based on accuracy and speed 3 Development of Attention a Sustained Increases sharply between 2 3 years As the prefrontal cortex grows children acquire greater capacity for complex play goals and adult scaffolding Children will become better at focusing on relevant aspects of a task and at flexibly adapting attention to task requirements Selective i As children get older they can concentrate on a task even with distractions b c Adaptable d All aspects of attention depend on inhibition the ability to control distracting stimuli e Development of Attentional Strategies i Emerged and redefined during four phases 1 Production Deficiency Failure to produce the strategy 2 Control Deficiency Failure to execute the strategy effectively 3 Utilization Deficiency Consistent use of the strategy but with little or no performance improvement 4 Effective Strategy Use ii Speech Gesture Mismatch 1 Children who produce speech gesture mismatch in a transitional state are considering two contradictory strategies and the readiness to learn 2 Parents and teachers use these to provide instruction at the best time f Planning i Begins during infancy and develops as the frontal lobe develops 1 Preschoolers will generate and follow simple plans 2 School age children can generate better plans 3 Tools teaching and practice help children learn to plan Relies on working memory and attention g Cognitive Control and Inhibition Cognitive Control is the ability to favor a weaker but more appropriate response over a dominant pre potent response Cognitive Inhibition is the ability to ignore irrelevant stimuli Both improve from infancy as tasks become more complex This can be enhanced by high quality preschool Inattention impulsivity and excessive activity It is heritable but also due to environmental factors Causes abnormal neurotransmitter functioning ii i ii iii i ii iii h ADHD iv i ii iii i ii iii Treated with stimulant medication behavior modeling and reinforcement also with family intervention 4 Memory Strategies a Methods of Encoding Rehearsal Repeating information to yourself to hold information in your working memory Organization Grouping related items Elaboration Creating a relationship or shared meaning between two or more pieces of information that do not belong in the same category A silly sentence that may not really make sense ie to remember fish and pipe the fish is smoking a pipe b Task demands and cultural circumstance influence the development of memory strategies c Young children rarely use rehearsal or organization because memory strategies take up extra space in the working memory and take time to perfect School age children begin to combine them and use more strategies at once to remember better Elaboration emerges toward the end of middle childhood d Everyday grouping helps with remembering those in non western cultures that do not receive formal schooling do not use memory strategies e Methods of Retrieval Recognition The simplest form of retrieval is a fairly
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