Teachers Education 150 Msu

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activation

Back 1

degree to which something in memory is being actively attended to and metally processed

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attention

Back 2

focusing of mental processes on particular stimuli

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automaticity

Back 3

ability to respond quickly and efficiently while mentally processing or physically performing a task

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behaviorism

Back 4

theoretical perspective in which learning and behavior are described and explained in terms of stimulus-response relationships

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cognitive psychology

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theoretical perspective that focuses on the mental processes underlying learning and behavior

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construction

Back 6

mental process in which a learner takes many separate pieces of information and uses them to build an overall understanding or interpretation

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constructivism

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theoretical perspective proposing that learners construct (rather than absorb) a body of knowledge from their experiences

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cortex

Back 8

upper part of the brain; site of conscious and higher-level thinking processes

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decay

Back 9

weakening over time of information stored in long-term memory, especially if the information is used infrequently

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declarative knowledge

Back 10

knowlede related to "what is"--that is, to the nature of how things are, were, or will be

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elaboration

Back 11

cognitive process in which learners expand on new information based on what they already know

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encoding

Back 12

changing the format of new information as it is being stored in memory

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failure to store

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failure to mentally process information in ways that promote its storage in long-term memory

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inability to retrieve

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failure to locate information that currently exists in long-term memory

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information processing theory

Back 15

theoretical perspective focusing on the specific ways in which learners mentally think about ("process") new information and events

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interference

Back 16

phenomenon whereby something stored in long-term memory inhibits one's ability to remember something else correctly

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keyword method

Back 17

mnemonic technique in which an association is made between two ideas by forming a visual image of one or more concrete objects (keywords) that either sound similar to, or symbolibally represent, those ideas

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knowledge base

Back 18

one's knowledge about specific topics and the world in general

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learning

Back 19

relatively permanent change, due to experience, either in behavior or in mental representations or associations

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long-term memory

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component of memort that holds knowledge and skills for a relatively long time

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maintenance rehearsal

Back 21

repetition of information over and over to keep it "fresh" in working memory

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meaningful learning set

Back 22

attitude that one can make sense of the information one is studying

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meaningful learning

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cognitive process in which learners relate new information to things they already know

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memory

Back 24

ability to save something (mentally) that has been previously learned, or mental "location" where such information is saved

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mnemonic

Back 25

memory aid or trick designed to help students learn and remember a specific piece of information

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neuron

Back 26

cell in the brain or another part of the nervous system that transmits information to other cells

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organization

Back 27

cognitive process in which learners find connections (e.g., by forming categories, identifying hierarchies, determining cause-effect relationships) among the various pieces of information they need to learn

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prior knowledge activation

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process of reminding students of things they have already learned relative to a new topic

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procedural knowledge

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knowledge concerning how to do something (e.g., a skill)

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recall task

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memory tast in which one must retrieve information in its entirety from long-term memory

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recognition task

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memory tast in whihc one must identify correct information among irrelevant information of incorrect statements

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reconstruction error

Back 32

construction of a logical but incorrect "memory" by using information retrieved from long-term memory plus one's general knowledge and beliefs about the world

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rehearsal

Back 33

cognitive process in which information is repeated over and over as a possible way of learning and remembering it

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response (R)

Back 34

specific behavior that an individual exhibits

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retrieval cue

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hint about where to "look" for a piece of information in long-term memory

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retrieval

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process of "finding" information previously stored in memory

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rote learning

Back 37

learning information in a relatively uninterpreted form, without making sense of it or attaching much meaning to it

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sensory register

Back 38

component of memory that holds incoming information in an unanalyzed form for a very brief period of time (perhaps a second or less)

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social cognitive theory

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theoretical perspective in which learning by observing others is the focus of study

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stimulus (S)

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specific object or event that influences an individual's learning or behavior

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storage

Back 41

process of "putting" new information into memory

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superimposed meaningful structure

Back 42

familiar shape, word, sentence, poem, or story imposed on information in order to facilitate recall

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synapse

Back 43

junction between two neurons that allows transmission of messages from one to the other

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verbal mediator

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word or phrase that forms a logical connection or "bridge" between two pieces of information

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visual imagery

Back 45

process of forming mental pictures of objects of ideas

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wait time

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length of time a teacher pauses, either after asking a question or hearing a student's comment, before saying something

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working memory

Back 47

component of memory that holds and actively thinks about and processes a limited amount of information