Chapter 4 Vocabulary Flashcards
Assimilation
The mental process of fitting new information from the environment into the already existing schema
Accommodation
Creating new mental schemas in response to new information from the environment when your information does not fit into it existing schemas
Auditory modality
Receives and represents information best orally
Behaviorism
View of learning that emphasizes the role that the environment plays in changing behavior; one learns because of reinforcement or punishment
Chunking
Grouping bits of information into units that are more meaningful in order to allow more items to be included in memory
Classical conditioning
Learning as a result of pairing a stimulus with an automatic emotional or physiological response (sweating, salivating, etc.)
Cognitive learning theory
A theory of learning that emphasizes the change and one’s mental structures as a result of a need to make sense of one’s world
Community resources
What a community can provide that contributes to the education of learners, including guest speakers, monetary resources, and enriching facilities such as museums
Community Stress
Anxiety that may be felt by students who come from communities that are impoverished, have high crime rates, and/or provide a little support for students; can cause students to be nervous and afraid for their safety
Concept
A mental structure that represents a particular idea, object, person, event, or experience along with the defining attributes attached to it
Conditional knowledge
Knowing when and why to use declarative and procedural knowledge
Constructivism
A view of learning that emphasizes the role of the learner in building in his or her own understanding while making sense of the world
Contiguity
The simple pairing of two behaviors enough times so that they continue to be paired, even when only one is presented
Convergent thinking
Problem solving in which there is one answer and/or one way to arrive at an answer
Declarative knowledge
A type of knowledge that is factually based
Defining attributes
The important criteria that determine whether an item fits into a concept; also called defining characteristic or the defining features
Emotional intelligence
Refers to recognizing, using, understanding, and managing emotions
Encoding
The process of moving information into long-term memory
Extinguishing
The process of making a behavior disappear; in the classroom, this usually involves a gradual shaping so that valued reinforcement are added as negative behaviors decrease
Facilitating teaching style
A mostly democratic teaching style (joint learning decisions are made with students), in which students are arranged in small groups or in a circular pattern (demonstrating a student-centered classroom), and the instruction is cooperative and inductive in nature with many inquiry and problem-solving activities; the teacher is seen as a fellow learner who sets the stage and provides help as needed for students to actively engage in learning
Field dependent
Learners who are more global or “big picture” oriented, extrinsically motivated, and more socially oriented
Field independent
Learners who are more local or detail oriented, analytical, intrinsically motivated, and less socially oriented
Home stress
Family difficulties present in the home such as divorce, family illness or death, family poverty, erratic parenting and so forth
Information processing
A cognitive view of learning that compares the mind to a computer with a place for data input, storage, and retrieval for future use; a view that learning is a change in mental processes
Kinesthetic modality
Receives and represents information best through movement
Learning
Depending on the theory, a change in mental processes or observable behavior
Learning styles
Learning or thinking in a certain way or what
Long-term memory
A place where information is permanently stored in the mind
Metacognition
A complex cognitive process that requires knowledge of and control over one’s own mental processes; thinking about one’s thinking
Modalities
Refers to the various methods of receiving sensory input: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic
Modeling
The concept that learners change their behavior as a result of observing a behavior in another person
Multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner has identified several areas of intelligence, including verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, visual-spatial, musical-rhythmic, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, naturalistic, and, perhaps, existential
Negative reinforcement
The removal of something undesirable in order to increase a behavior
Nonroutine problem solving
Solving a problem for which an easily identifiable solution is not available (and ill-define problem); divergent thinking is usually required
Operant conditioning
Learning as a result of reinforcement or punishment from the environment
Organizational skills
A factor in the learning that involves meaningful categorization
Parenting style
Four styles of raising children have been identified:
- Permissive
- Rejecting-neglecting
- Authoritarian
- Authoritative (preferred)
Positive reinforcement
The introduction of a valued reward to increase a desired behavior
Presentation punishment
Introduction of something disliked or distasteful to decrease a behave
Procedural knowledge
Knowledge of the necessary steps to complete a task
Punishment
Adding or taking away something valued which results in a decrease in a behavior
Rehearsal
The process of repeating information over and over to oneself to keep it in working memory
Reinforcement
Something valued used to influence behavior
Removal punished
The removal of something pleasurable in order to decrease a behavior
Routine problem-solving
Solving a problem for which there is a set (or easily identifiable) procedure to follow, making the answer readily available (a well-defined problem); convergent thinking is normally used
Satiation
When a child gets too much of a reward or punishment, it becomes meaningless and will no longer influence behavior
Schema
A mental structure for the various concepts one has developed and their relationships to each other
Sensory memory
A place in the mind where information received from the and says it’s briefly stored (usually less than a few seconds); no attention is paid to it, the information is lost
Shaping
Behavior changes gradually over time due to the introduction and continuation of reinforcers
Short-term memory
A place in mind where the brain temporarily stores everything to which attention is directed; unless rehearsals or another activity is completed, the information is lost after about 20-32 seconds
Social learning theory
A theory of learning that emphasizes what we learn by observing the behavior of others in our environment
Stimulus-response learning
The automatic pairing of a response to a given stimulus
Stress factors
Situations in the home or community that may cause a learner to become anxious and nervous
Student-centered teacher
A teacher who employs a facilitating manner and constantly focuses on the needs of a learner in every respect. The teacher continuously asks if students are able, ready, interested, and so forth for the instruction to be implemented. Student decisions about learning are respected and encouraged, in the teacher is a learner in the classroom community.
Tactile modality
Receives and represents information best through touch
Teaching styles
A teacher’s choice of emphasis, instruction, interactions, methods of communicating, and classroom mannerisms
Transfer
Applying the learning of previous information to a new situation
Vicarious learning
Learning that results from seeing someone else’s behavior either rewarded or punished
Visual modality
Receives and represents information best through sight
Working memory
A place in the mind where information is temporarily held so that it can be actively manipulated
