Chapter 6: Learning, Memory and Cognition Flashcards
learning
Long-term change in mental representations or associations as a result of experience
information processing theory
Theoretical perspective that focuses on the specific ways in which learners mentally think about or process new information and events
individual contructivism
Theoretical perspective that focuses on how learners each construct their own idiosyncratic meanings from their experiences
sociocultural theory
Theoretical perspective emphasizing the importance of society and culture in promoting learning and development
social constructivism
Theoretical perspective that focuses on people’s collective efforts to impose meaning on the world
situated learning
Phenomenon in which aspects of the immediate environment enhance motivation to learn particular things or behave in particular ways
distributed cognition and intelligence
Enhancement of thinking through the use of physical objects and technology, concepts and symbols of one’s culture, and/or social collaboration and support.
cognitive psychology
General theoretical perspective that focuses on the mental processes underlying learning and behavior; encompasses information processing theory, individual constructivism, and related perspectives
constructivism
Theoretical perspective proposing that learners actively construct (rather than passively absorb) knowledge and beliefs from their experiences
construction
Mental process in which a learner takes many separate pieces of information and uses them to build an overall understanding or interpretation
individual constructivism
Theoretical perspective that focuses on how learners each construct their own idiosyncratic meanings from their experiences
neuropsychology
Study of how various brain structures and functions are related to human learning and behavior, also known as cognitive neuroscience
memory
Ability to mentally save something that has been previously learned; also, the mental “location” where such information is saved
storage
Process of putting new information into memory
encoding
Mentally changing the format of new information in order to think about it or remember it more easily
retrieval
Process of finding information previously stored in memory
sensory register
Component of memory that holds incoming information in an unanalyzed form for a very brief period of time (2 or 3 seconds at most, depending on the modality)
attention
Focusing of mental processing on particular stimuli
working memory
Component of memory that holds actively thinks about and processes a limited amount of information for a short time.
central executive
Component of human memory that oversees the flow of information throughout the memory system
executive functions
General mental processes that human beings use to control what they pay attention to, think about, and learn; are presumed to occur within working memory
long-term memory
Component of memory that holds skills and knowledge for a relatively long time.
cognitive load
Cognitive burden that a particular learning activity places on working memory at any one time; includes both the amount of information learners must simultaneously think about and the specific cognitive processes learners must engage in to understand what they are studying
astrocytes
Star-shaped brain cell hypothesized to be involved in learning and memory; has chemically mediated connections with many other astrocytes and with neurons
activation
Degree to which something in memory is actively attended to and mentally processed
declarative knowledge
Knowledge concerning the nature of how things are, were, or will be
procedural knowledge
Knowledge concerning how to do something (e.g., a skill)
conditional knowledge
Knowledge concerning appropriate ways to respond (physically or mentally) under various circumtances
explicit knowledge
Knowledge that a person is consciously aware of and can verbally descrive
implicit knowledge
Knowledge that a person cannot consciously recall or explain but that nevertheless affects the person’s thinking and behavior
concepts
Mental grouping of objects or events that have something in common
schema
Tightly organized set of facts about a specific topic
script
Schema that involves a predictable sequence of events related to a common activity
theory
Integrated set of concepts and principles developed to explain a particular phenomenon; may be constructed jointly by researchers over time or individually by a single learner
rote learning
Learning information in a relatively uninterpreted form, without making sense of it or attaching much meaning to it
rehersal
Cognitive process in which information is repeated over and over within a short time frame (typically a few minutes or less) as a possible way of learning and remembering it
meaningful learning
Cognitive process in which learners relate new information to things they already know
elaboration
Cognitive process in which learners embellish on new information based on what they already know or believe
organization
Cognitive process in which learners make connections among various pieces of information they need to learn (e.g. by forming categories, identifying hierarchies, determining cause-and-effect relationships.
concept maps
Diagram of concepts and their interrelationships; used to enhance learning and memory of a topic
visual imagery
Process of forming a mental picture of an object or idea
knowledge base
One’s existing knowledge about specific topics and the world in general
prior knowledge activation
Process of reminding learners of what they already know relative to a new topic
meaningful learning set
Attitude that one can make sense of the information one is studying
conceptual understanding
Meaningful learned and well-integrated knowledge about a topic, including many logical connections among specific concepts and ideas
mnemonics
Memory aid or trick designed to help students learn and remember one or more specific pieces of information
verbal mediator
Word or phrase that forms a logical connection, or mental “bridge”, between two pieces of information
keyword method
Mnemonic technique in which a learner actually connections two ideas by forming a visual image of one or more concrete objects (keywords) that either sound similar to or symbolically represent those ideas.
superimposed meaningful strucutures
Familiar shape, word, sentence, poem or story imposed on information in order to facilitate recall
misconceptions
Belief that is inconsistent with commonly accepted and well-validated explanations of phenomena or events.
conceptual change
Significant revision of one’s existing beliefs about a topic, enabling new, discrepant information to be better understood and explained
confirmation bias
Tendency to seek information that confirms rather than discredits current beliefs
situated learning and cognition
Knowledge, behaviors, and thinking skills acquired and used primarily within certain contexts, with limited or no retrieval and use in other contexts; sometimes involves dependence on physical or social support mechanisms available only in certain contexts
hot cognition
Leanin or cognitive processing that is emotionally charged
automaticity
Ability to respond quickly and efficiently while mentally processing or physically performing a task
wait time
Length of time a teacher pauses, after either asking a question or hearing a student’s comment, before saying something
consolidation
Neurological process in which newly acquired knowledge is firmed up in the brain; often takes several hours, sometimes even longer
decay
Gradual weakening of information stored in long-term memory, especially if the information is used infrequently or not at all
interference
Phenomenon whereby something stored in long-term memory inhibits one’s ability to remember something correctly
reconstruction error
Construction of a logical but incorrect “memory” by combining information retrieved from one’s long-term memory with one’s general knowledge and beliefs about the world
maintenance rehersal
Rapid repetition of a small amount of information to keep it fresh in working memory
