Chapter 11

Question 1

concrete operational thought

Answer 1

Stages of cognitive development in which children are able to think about two or more dimensions of a problem(decentered thought), dynamic transformations, and reversible operations.

Question 2

stores model (of memory)

Answer 2

A model of human memory that views information as moving through a series of storage locations, from the sensory stores to short-term store to long-term store.

Question 3

chunking

Answer 3

The process of recording individual elements in memory into larger groups of information.

Question 4

network models (of memory)

Answer 4

Models of human memory that views memory as an interconnected network of concept nodes connected by links of varying strength.

Question 5

working memory

Answer 5

The information currently active in your memory system and currently available for use in a menial task.

Question 6

long term memory

Answer 6

Memory of knowledge or events that is permanent.

Question 7

encoding

Answer 7

The process of forming a mental representation of information.

Question 8

accessing

Answer 8

The process of finding information in memory at the desired time.

Question 9

retrieval

Answer 9

In the stores model, retrieval is the process of bringing information from the ling-term store to the short-term store. In network models, retrieval is the process of activating information so that it becomes a part of the working memory and thus available for use.

Question 10

scripts

Answer 10

Mental representations of the way things typically occur in certain settings or for certain events.

Question 11

reconstructive memory

Answer 11

A characteristic of human memory. We store parts of events and knowledge; during recall we retrieve the stored pieces and draw inferences about the rest.

Question 12

autobiographical memories

Answer 12

Memories of events of great personal importance. They are episodic memories and are often vivid and detailed.

Question 13

knowledge base

Answer 13

The amount of information a person knows about a particular topic.

Question 14

strategies

Answer 14

Conscious, intentional, and controllable plans used to improve performance.

Question 15

computational models

Answer 15

Models of cognition that are programmed on computers: output of the programs is compared to human performance.

Question 16

production systems

Answer 16

Sets of computerized if-then statements that state the specific actions that will be taken under certain conditions.

Question 17

connectionist models

Answer 17

“Neutrally inspired” or neutral network models of cognition that view knowledge as based on patterns of activation among interconnected sets of individual units rather than stored as entire concepts.

Question 18

fuzzy trance theory

Answer 18

The view that memory representations vary on a continuum from exact and literal to imprecise and general memory traces based on the gist of the information or event.

Question 19

metalinguistic awareness

Answer 19

A person’s explicit knowledge about language itself and about his or her own use of it.

Question 20

personal narratives

Answer 20

Stories about personal experiences that used language to inform others about the self and that provide increased self-understanding.

Question 21

subtilizing

Answer 21

A perceptual process in which people quickly and easily determine how many objects are in a small set without actually counting them.

Question 22

counting strategies

Answer 22

Approaches to solving math problems that involve counting of the quantities.

Question 23

strategy choice model

Answer 23

The idea that children solve math problems by choosing the fastest approach that they can execute accurately.

Question 24

phonemic awareness

Answer 24

The understanding that words are made up for smaller units of sound; also, association of printed letters with the sounds that go with them.

Question 25

inventive spellings

Answer 25

Incorrect spellings that children create by sounding out words and writing the associated letters.

Question 26

knowledge telling

Answer 26

Adding or “dumping” in ideas as they come to mind; a failure to selectively organize ideas in writing.