Chapter 6 - Info Processing & Learning

Front 1

information-processing theory

Back 1

Cognitive theory of learning that descirbes the processing, storage & retrieval of knowledge in the mind

Front 2

sensory register

Back 2

component of the memory system in which information is received & held for very short periods of time.

Front 3

perception

Back 3

a person's interpretation of stimulation

Front 4

attention

Back 4

active focus on certain stimuli

Front 5

short-term or working memory

Back 5

the component of memory in which limited amounts of information can be stored for a few seconds

Front 6

rehersal

Back 6

mental repetition of information which can improve its retention.

Front 7

long term memory

Back 7

the components of memory in which large amounts of information can be stored for long periods of time

Front 8

episodic memory

Back 8

a part of long term memory that stores images of our personal experiences

Front 9

semantic memory

Back 9

a part of long term memory that stores facts & general knowledge

Front 10

procedural memory

Back 10

a part of long term memory that stores information about how to do things

Front 11

flashbulb memory

Back 11

important events that are fixed mainly in visual & auditory memory

Front 12

schemata

Back 12

mental networks of related concepts that influence understanding of new information; the singular is schema

Front 13

levels of processing theory

Back 13

explantion of memory that links recall of a stimulus with the amount of mental processing it receives.

Front 14

dual code theory of memory

Back 14

theory suggesting that information coded both visually & verbally is remembered better than information coded in only one of those two ways

Front 15

parallel distributed processing model

Back 15

a model based on the idea that information is processed simultaneously in the sensory register, working memory & long term memory

Front 16

connectionist models

Back 16

theories proposing that knowledge is stored in the brain in a network of connections, not in systems of rules or in individual bits of information

Front 17

interference

Back 17

inhibition of recall of certain information by the presence of other information in memory

Front 18

retroactive inhibition

Back 18

decreased ability to recall previously learned information caused by learning of new information

Front 19

proactive inhibition

Back 19

decreased ability to learn new information caused by interference from existing knowledge

Front 20

proactive facilitation

Back 20

increased ability to learn new information due to the presence of previously acquired information

Front 21

retroactive facilitation

Back 21

increased comprehension of previously learned information due to the acquisition of new information

Front 22

primacy effect

Back 22

the tendency for items at the beginning of a list to be recalled more easily than other items

Front 23

recency effect

Back 23

the tendency for items at the end of a list to be recalled more easily than other items

Front 24

automaticity

Back 24

a level of rapidity & ease such that tasks can be performed or skills utilized with little mental effort.

Front 25

massed practice

Back 25

technique in which facts or skills to be learned are repeated often over a concentrated period of time

Front 26

distributed practice

Back 26

technique in which items to be learned are repeated at intervals over a period of time

Front 27

enactment

Back 27

a leaning process in which individuals physically carry out tasks

Front 28

verbal learning

Back 28

learning of words (or facts expressed in words)

Front 29

paired-associate learning

Back 29

learning of items in linked pairs so that when one member of a pair is presented, the other can be recalled

Front 30

serial learning

Back 30

memorization of a series of items in a particular order

Front 31

free-recall learning

Back 31

learning of a list of items in any order

Front 32

imagery

Back 32

mental visualization of images to improve memory

Front 33

mnemonics

Back 33

devices or strategies for aiding the memory

Front 34

keyword method

Back 34

a strategy for improving memory by using images to link pairs of items

Front 35

loci method

Back 35

a strategy for remembering lists by picturing items in familiar locations

Front 36

pegword method

Back 36

a strategy for memorization in which images are used to link lists of facts to a familiar set of words or numbers

Front 37

initial-letter strategies

Back 37

strategies for learning in which initial letters of items to be memorized are made into a more easily remembered word or phrase

Front 38

rote learning

Back 38

memorization of facts or associations that might be essentially arbitrary

Front 39

meaningful learning

Back 39

mental processing of new information that relates to previously learned knowledge

Front 40

inert knowledge

Back 40

learned information that could be applied to a wide range of situations but whose use is limited to restricted often artificial applications

Front 41

schema theory

Back 41

theory stating that information is stored in long term memory in schemata (networks of connected facts & concepts) which provide a structure for making sense of new information

Front 42

metacognition

Back 42

knowledge about one's own learning or about how to learn ("thinking about thinking")

Front 43

metacognitive skills

Back 43

methods for learning, study or solving problems

Front 44

self-questioning strategies

Back 44

learning strategies that call on students to ask themselves who, what, where & how questions as they read material

Front 45

note taking

Back 45

a study strategy that requires decisions about what to write

Front 46

summarizing

Back 46

writing brief statements that represent the main idea of the information being read

Front 47

outlining

Back 47

representing the main points of material in hierarchical format

Front 48

mapping

Back 48

diagramming main ideas & the connections between them

Front 49

PQ4R

Back 49

a study strategy that has students preview, question, read reflect, recite & review material

Front 50

advance organizers

Back 50

activities & techniques that orient students to the material before reading or class presentation

Front 51

analogies

Back 51

images, concepts or narratives that compare new information to information students already understand

Front 52

elaboration

Back 52

the process of connecting new material to information or ideas already in the learner's mind

Front 53

What are the three major compnents of memory?

Back 53

sensory register, short term or working memory & long term memory.

Front 54

How do the sensory registers work?

Back 54

they are very short term memories linked to the senses - information received by the senses not attended to quickly = quickly forgotten. Once information is received it's processed by the mind in accord with experiences & mental states. This is called perception

Front 55

What is short-term (working memory)?

Back 55

a storage system holding 5-9 bits of information at any one time. Info enters working memory from both the sensory register & the long term memory. Rehearsal is the process of repeating information in order to hold it in working memory.

Front 56

How does long term memory work?

Back 56

long term memory is where a large amount of information is stored for an indefinate time. Cognitive theories of learning are all about helping students get information being learned in existing information transfered to long term memory. 3 parts of long term memory: episodic, semantic memory & procedural memory

Front 57

What causes people to remember or forget?

Back 57

interference causes fogetting:information gets lost when it's mixed up with or pushed aside by other information. Primacy & recency means you remember what was presented first & last, automaticity is when the information is practiced var beyond what's needed to establish it in long term memory(it becomes automatic) so that it requires little or no mental effort. Practice strengthens associations of newly learned information. Distributed practice (practicing parts of a task over time) is usually more effective than massed practice. Enactment also helps students remember.

Front 58

How can memory strategies be taught?

Back 58

by presenting lessons in an organized way - teaching students menemonics.
paired associate learning, serial learning free recall learning.

Front 59

Describe the uses of the three types of verbal learning.

Back 59

Paired associate learning: learning to respond with one member of a pair when given the other member. Imagery techniques, (keyword method) helps.
Serial learning: recalling a list of items in a specified order - Free recall=in any order. Helps with these methods include loci method, pegword, rhyming & initial letter strategies.

Front 60

What makes information meaningful?

Back 60

information that makes sense & is significant to students is more meaningful than inert knowledge & information learned by rote. Schema theory=individuals' meaningful knowledge is constructed of networks & hierarchies of schemata.

Front 61

How do metacognitive skills help students learn?

Back 61

Helps students learn by thinking about, controlling & effectively using their own thinking processes.

Front 62

What study strategies help students learn?

Back 62

note taking, selective directed underlining, summarizing, writing to learn, out line & mapping can effectively promote learning. The PQ4R method is an example of a stategy that focuses on the meaningful organization of information.

Front 63

How do cognitive teaching strategies help students learn?

Back 63

Advance organizers help students process new information by activating back ground knowledge. Analogies, information elaboration, organizational schemes, questioning techniques & conceptual models are other examples of teaching strateies that are based on cognitive learning theories.