Chapter 7 - Lecture Flashcards
what are the higher mental functions in cognitive psychology?
Concept formation
Categories and Coding
Systems
Memory
Language
Problem solving
Decision making
Logic
What did Steven Pinker do?
Pinker explores various
aspects of human cognition and the mechanisms that
underlie our mental
processes
how does Pinker describe the structure of language?
Language: Pinker describes the structure of language and how it is processed in the mind. He discusses the concept of universal grammar and the innate
language abilities that humans possess
- universal grammar - brain is already hardwired similarly to computers, and givena healthy brain every brain has the capacity to learn the rules
what are the main beliefs of cognitive theories?
- Current learning builds on previous learning
- Learning involves information processing
- Meaning depends on relationships among concepts
describe ‘going beyond the information given’ (bruner’s learning theory)
Humans were far from the fastest, the fiercest, or the
strongest of the predators on this planet
- The human proved, in the end, to be more intelligent
- The human eventually took the course of evolution into its own hands by using its brains
*brain information processing centre allows us to outcompete others
Language and mind are the products of _
cultural evolution made possible by the brain
*countries have their own languages/dialect
Mind refers primarily to human consciousness—define
the awareness we have of being, of thinking, of feeling.
The mind’s evolution is evident through three waves of
remarkable inventions:
- Simple machines amplifying human motor
capacities - Devices amplifying human sensory capacities
- Machines amplifying human intellectual capacities
name the 3 representational systems in Bruner’s theory
enactive representation, iconic representation, symbolic representation
name the 3 human inventions that relate to Bruner’s representational systems
enactive = amplification of motor capacities
iconic = amplification of sensory capacitites
symbolic = amplification of intellectual capacities
describe the development of representation in children: enactive
In the enactive mode, a baby would represent their
world through actions.
Knowledge is stored as muscle memory
- For example, a baby may continue to shake their
arm even when you take the rattle away
- They think the arm movement was making the noise
- Our knowledge of motor skills like riding a bike is
based on enactive representation
- They become automatic with practice
describe the development of representation in children: iconic representation
Here knowledge can be
represented through visual or auditory icons
- A child’s thinking is dominated by images and things are as they look
describe the development of representation in children: symbolic representation
- Language starts to influence thoughts
- Information can be categorized and summarized and be more readily manipulated
A symbolic representational system, most importantly language, is essential to
systematic reasoning
- language are agreed upon symbols that we give meaning to
* that’s why certain terms parents used don’t make any sense
what did Noam Chomsky suggest?
Innate Knowledge: Chomsky suggested that humans are born with an innate, biological predisposition for language
* This innate knowledge includes a set of grammatical principles and
rules that guide the formation of sentences and the understanding
of language
forming concepts involves _. Information processing and decision making also involve _
categorization
(bruner’s theory of representation: categorization)
A category can be thought of as a_
rule for classifying things as being equal: specifying the attributes objects must possess to belong
Categorizing implies the possibility of
“going beyond the
information given” (of making predictions about events or objects based on their category membership)
*making predictions on events and objects, constantly doing this to make sense
coding systems are _
hierarchal arrangements of related categories, such that the topmost category in the system is more general than are all the categories below it
*creating coding system that connects to broad idea
*do this as you learn more information
what does transfer mean in terms of coding systems?
Categorizing and placing concepts (categories) into coding systems is
basic to generalizing — or what is termed transfer
in research on concept formation, we have 2 models of _
abstraction
we have 2 models of abstraction:
prototype (a general model, ex honda)
exemplar (a specific example, ex. honda civic)
- it’s not just about categorizing, it’s also about _
putting meaning
- personal narratives, connections that occur
define meaning and the narrative construction of reality
- How humans make meaning
- How humans use personal narratives to make sense of their lives
what are the educational implications of Bruner’s Theory
Theory strongly advocates discovery- oriented, constructivist teaching methods
- Bruner suggests that
some form of spiral
curriculum is often the
best for learner-
centered education
on the slide in class, what was on the bruner spiral
as difficulty increases, new content>revision>mastery
jean piaget had a _ position
developmental-cognitive position
piaget’s position is primarily a theory of human development, however, it is also a theory of _
learning
The acquisition of knowledge is a
gradual developmental process made
possible through
the interaction of the
child with the environment
The sophistication of children’s representation of the world is a function
of their stage of development
- That stage is defined by the thought
structures they then possess
what are the (3) forces that shape learning
- Maturation, active experience,
equilibration, and social interaction are
the forces that shape learning.
Lev Vygotsky had a _theory
social/cognitive
Lev Vygotsky’s social/cognitive theory involved the ZOPD, what is this?
Zone of proximal development: The range
of tasks that a child can perform with the
help of others but not independently
* too easy/hard = disconnection
describe vygotsky’s past
- A private tutor educated him during his earliest
years before he entered a Jewish high school - He was later admitted to the University of Moscow
via a lottery system - Simultaneously studied history and philosophy at
Shaniavsky University while studying law at
Moscow University - After graduating from the two universities in 1917,
he began teaching in a state school at Gomel
Vygotsky became interested in psychology in 1924
He pioneered research and ideas in _ that still seem fresh
and current Vygotsky has been described as the _ of psychology
developmental
psychology and education
“Mozart”
Vygotsky’s theory is often referred to as an example of _
constructivism
According to Vygotsky, _ are involved in the development of human consciousness
culture and social interaction
Whereas Piaget’s theory gives a primary role to forces that are within the child, Vygotsky’s system emphasizes
forces that are outside the child—in other words, the forces of culture
Social interaction is fundamentally involved
in the development of
cognition
- Cultures are very powerful, dynamic, changing things that exert a tremendous
influence on each of us
describe the educational applications of the zone of proximal growth and scaffolding
Vygotsky’s theory says a great deal about the forces
that shape children’s learning
- It says much about the special relationship that exists between teachers and learners
The Tools of the Mind curriculum reflects two aspects of Vygotsky’s theory that have especially clear and important educational implications:
his notions of the zone of proximal growth and of scaffolding
describe the inner circle, middle circle and outer circle on the ZOPD diagram in class
inner circle: current understanding, can work unassisted
middle circle: ZOPD, learns through scaffolding
outer circle: out of reach
list the scaffolding strategies form the diagram in class
- use of first language
- read aloud
- modeling/gestures
- intentional small group/partner work
- sentence structures/starters
- graphic organizers
- connect to background knowledge
- visuals
how can vygotsky’s theory be criticized?
not a highly scientific theory
- Some critics argue that
Vygotsky’s description of
stages in language
development is not
particularly useful or accurate
Many consider him to be one of the most influential and important psychologists of the twentieth century
Vygotsky’s theory fares
relatively well relative to the major criteria of good
theories, as it:
- is relatively clear and
understandable,
attempts to simplify complex observations,
is consistent, has very important practical
implications, and continues to stimulate and guide a considerable amountof research in the social sciences
