DEP 3103 Child Psychology Unit 3 Learning Objectives Chapter 7 1 Describe the store model of human information processing What are the sensory register short term memory store and long term memory store What is working memory How does the central executive help coordinate these systems according to this theory What are automatic processes and why are they useful a b Information processing theorists view the mind as complex symbol manipulating system through which information flows much like a computer Researchers use computer like diagrams and flowcharts to analyze thinking into its components mapping the precise steps involved in thinking about a task or problem Information flows through three parts of the mental system the sensory register short term memory store and long term memory i Sensory register represents sights and sounds directly and stores them briefly ii Short term Memory Store holds limited amount of information that is worked on to facilitate memory and problem solving iii Long term Memory Store stores information permanently c Working Memory the number of items that can be briefly held in mind while also engaging in some effort to monitor or manipulate those items d Central Executive conscious part of the mind coordinates incoming information with information in the system controls attention selects applies and monitors the effectiveness of strategies e Automatic Processes well learned that they require no space in working memory and permit us to focus on other information while simultaneously performing them 2 Describe the implications for development of the store model of human information processing Describe how working memory capacity and speed of memory processing improve with age What is executive function How does it improve with age a We hold or store information in three parts if the mental system for processing i Sensory Register takes in a wide panorama of information but only momentarily ii Short term Memory Store retains attended to information briefly so we can actively manipulate it in Working Memory to accomplish our goals iii The Central Executive is the conscious reflective part of the system directing the flow of information and implementing basic procedures and complex strategies The more effectively we process information the greater the likelihood that mental activities will become Automatic Processes and that information will transfer to Long Term Memory our limitless permanent knowledge base iv The Store Model suggests and research confirms that several aspects of the cognitive system improve with age Working memory capacity increases with individual differences predicting intelligence test scores and academic achievement Gains in processing speed also occur contributing to working memory resources Children make strides in Executive Function with preschoolers gaining in attention suppressing impulses and flexible thinking and school age children and adolescents in integration of cognitive operations and strategies that enable increasingly difficult tasks 3 What is Siegler s model of strategy choice overlapping wave s theory How does it explain children s changes in thinking a Model of Strategy Choice uses an evolutionary metaphor natural selection to help us understand cognitive change When given challenging problems children generate a variety of strategies testing the usefulness of each With experience some strategies are selected they become more frequent and survive Others become less frequent and die off Like the evolution of physical traits children s mental strategies display variation and selection yielding adaptive problem solving techniques ones best suited to solving the problems at hand b Strategy development follows an overlapping waves pattern When given challenging problems children generate a variety of strategies gradually selecting from them on the basis of accuracy and speed 4 Describe the development of attention Distinguish between sustained selective and adaptable attention What are examples of each type What is inhibition a Gains in sustained attention depend on rapid growth in the prefrontal cortex the capacity to generate increasingly complex play goals and adult scaffolding of attention As sustained attention increases children become better at focusing on relevant aspects of a task and at flexibly adapting attention to task requirements Sustained selective and adaptable attention depend on Inhibition the ability to control distracting stimuli i Sustained attention infants spend more time on complex stimuli such as toys and videos and display greater slowing of heart rate while engaged attraction to novelty declines the capacity to generate increasingly complex play goals adult scaffolding of attention ii Selective attention improves sharply between ages 6 and 10 with gains continuing through adolescence 1 Example showed 6 to 11 year olds computer images of safe and dangerous road crossing scenes sometimes with and sometimes without visual and auditory distractors Ability to distinguish safe from dangerous sites increased with age even in the presence of distractors iii Adaptive attention older children better at flexibly adapting their attention to task requirements switching mental sets within a task adapt their attention to task requirements switching mental sets within a task 1 Example when asked to sort a deck of cards with pictures that vary in both color and shape children age 5 and older readily switch their basis of sorting from color to shape when asked to do so Younger children persist in sorting in just one way even though they know the rule system relevant to the task 5 Describe the development of attentional strategy use Name and describe the four steps of attentional strategy development How do children use planning effectively a Development of attentional and memory strategies tends to occur in four phases i Production deficiency failure to produce the strategy 1 Preschoolers rarely engage in attentional strategies In other words they usually fail to produce strategies when they could be helpful On the task just described they simply opened all the doors ii Control Deficiency failure to execute control the strategy effectively 1 Young elementary school children sometimes produce strategies but not consistently They have difficulty controlling or executing strategies effectively a For example 5 year olds began to apply a selective attentional strategy opening only relevant doors but at times
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