Chapter 6 - Information Processing and Cognitive Theories of Learning Flashcards
Sensory Register
Component of the memory system in which information is received and held for very short periods of time.
Information-Processing Theory
Cognitive theory of learning that describes the processing, storage, and retrieval of knowledge in the mind.
Perception
A person’s interpretation of stimuli
Attention
Active focus on certain stimuli to the exclusion of others
Short-Term of Working Memory
The component of memory in which limited amounts of information can be stored for a few seconds.
Rehearsal
Mental repetition of information, which can improve its retention.
Long-Term Memory
The components of memory in which large amounts of information can be stored for long periods of time.
Episodic Memory
A part of long-term memory that stores images of our personal experiences.
Semantic Memory
A part of long-term memory that stores facts and general knowledge.
Procedural Memory
A part of long-term memory that stores information about how to do things.
Flashbulb Memory
Important events that are fixed mainly in visual and auditory memory.
Schemata
Mental networks of related concepts that influence understanding of new information; the singular is schema.
Levels-of-Processing Theory
Explanation of memory that links recall of a stimulus with the amount of mental processing it receives.
Dual Code Theory of Memory
Theory suggesting that information coded both visually and verbally is remembered better than information coded in only one of those two ways.
Interference
Inhibition of recall of certain information by the presence of other information in memory.
Retroactive Inhibition
Decreased ability to recall previously learned information, caused by learning of new information.
Proactive Inhibition
Decreased ability to learn new information, caused by interference from existing knowledge.
Proactive Facilitation
Increased ability to learn new information based on the presence of previously acquired information.
Retroactive Facilitation
Increased comprehension of previously learned information because of the acquisition of new information.
Primacy Effect
The tendency for items at the beginning of a list to be recalled more easily than other items.
Recency Effect
The tendency for items at the end of a list to be recalled more easily than other items.
Automaticity
A level of rapidity and ease such that tasks can be performed or skills utilized with little mental effort.
Massed Practice
Technique in which facts or skills to be learned are repeated often over a concentrated period of time.
Distributed Practice
Technique in which items to be learned are repeated at intervals over a period of time.
Enactment
A learning process in which individuals physically carry out tasks.
Verbal Learning
Learning of words (or facts expressed in words)
Paired-Associate Learning
Learning of items in linked pairs so that when one member of a pair is presented, the other can be recalled.
Serial Learning
Memorization of a series of items in a particular order.
Free-Recall Learning
Learning of a list of items in any orders.
Imagery
Mental visualization of images to improve memory.
Mnemonics
Devices or strategies for aiding the memory.
Keyword Method
A strategy for improving memory by using images to link pairs of items.
Loci Method
A strategy for remembering lists by picturing items in familiar locations.
Pegword Method
A strategy for memorization in which images are used to link lists of facts to a familiar set of words or numbers.
Initial-Letter Strategies
Strategies for learning in which initial letters of items to be memorized are made into a more easily remembered word or phrase.
Rote Learning
Memorization of facts or associations that might be essentially arbitrary.
Meaningful Learning
Mental processing of new information that relates to previously learned knowledge.
Inert Knowledge
Learned information that could be applied to a wide range of situations but whose use is limited to restricted, often artificial, applications.
Schema Theory
Theory stating that information is stored in long-term memory in schemata (networks of connected facts and concepts), which provide a structure for making sense of new knowledge.
Metacognition
Knowledge about one’s own learning or about how to learn (“thinking about thinking”).
Metacognitive Skills
Methods for learning, studying, or solving problems.
Self-Questioning Strategies
Learning strategies that call on students to ask themselves who, what, where, and how questions as they read material.
Note-Taking
A study strategy that requires decisions about what to write.
Summarizing
Writing brief statements that represent the main idea of the information being read.
Outlining
Representing the main points of material in hierarchical format.
Concept Mapping
Diagramming main ideas and the connections between them.
PQ4R Method
A study strategy that has students preview, question, read, reflect, recite, and review material.
Advance Organizers
Activities and techniques that orient students to the material before reading or class presentation.
Analogies
Images, concepts, or narratives that compare new material to information students already understand.
Elaboration
The process of connecting new material to information or ideas already in the learner’s mind.
