Exam 2 (Ch. 7 - Ch. 12) Flashcards
Cognition
The activity of knowing and the processes through which knowledge is acquired.
(For example, attending, perceiving, remembering, and thinking.)
Schema
A cognitive structure or organized pattern of action or thought used to deal with experiences.
Adaptation
In Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, a person’s inborn tendency to adjust to the demands of the environment, consisting of the complementary processes of assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation
Piaget’s term for the process by which children interpret new experiences in terms of their existing schemata.
Contrast with accommodation.
Accomodation
In Piaget’s cognitive develop- mental theory, the process of modifying existing schemes to incorporate or adapt to new experiences.
Contrast with assimilation.
Object Permanence
The understanding that objects continue to exist when they are no longer visible or otherwise detectable to the senses; fully mastered by the end of infancy.
Name Piaget’s stages of development and a characteristic of each
- Sensorimotor - senses and reflexes
- Preoperational - symbolic capacity, imagination
- Concrete Operational - logical, flexible, organized
- Formal Operational - thinking in the hypothetical and abstract realm
Symbolic Capacity
The capacity to use symbols such as words, images, or actions to represent or stand for objects and experiences; representational thought.
Conservation
The recognition that certain properties of an object or substance do not change when its appearance is altered in some superficial way.
Centration
In Piaget’s theory, the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a problem when two or more aspects are relevant.
Reversibility
In Piaget’s theory, the ability to reverse or negate an action by mentally performing the opposite action.
Static Thought
In Piaget’s theory, the thought characteristic of the preoperational period that is fixed on end states rather than on the changes that transform one state into another.
Contrast with transformational thought.
Egocentrism
The tendency to view the world from the person’s own perspective and fail to recognize that others may have different points of view.
Transitivity
The ability to recognize the necessary or logical relations among elements in a serial order.
(For example, that if A is taller than B, and B is taller than C, then A must be taller than C.)
Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning
A form of problem solving in which a person starts with general or abstract ideas and deduces or traces their specific implications; “if–then” thinking.
Adolescent Egocentrism
A characteristic of adolescent thought that involves difficulty differentiating between the person’s own thoughts and feelings and those of other people; evident in the personal fable and imaginary audience phenomena.
Imaginary Audience
A form of adolescent egocentrism that involves confusing one’s own thoughts with the thoughts of a hypothesized audience for behavior and concluding that others share these preoccupations.
Personal Fable
A form of adolescent egocentrism that involves thinking that oneself and one’s thoughts and feelings are unique or special.
“No one has ever felt like this before!” “Nobody understands!”
Decentration
The ability to focus on two or more dimensions of a problem at one time.
Transformational Thought
In Piaget’s theory, the ability to conceptualize transformations, or processes of change from one state to another, which appears in the stage of concrete operations.
Contrast with static thought.
Information Processing Approach to Memory
An approach to cognition that emphasizes the fundamental mental processes involved in attention, perception, memory, and decision making.
Sensory Register
The first memory store in information processing in which stimuli are noticed and are briefly available for further processing.
Characteristic of Sensory Register
immediate, brief
Short Term Memory (STM)
Temporary store for memories that have gained our attention.
Characteristic of STM
7 +/- 2 items, 18-20 seconds
Long Term Memory (LTM)
Serves as a storehouse for information that must be kept for long periods of time.
Characteristic of LTM
unlimited, relatively permanent
Encoding
The first step in learning and remembering something, it is the process of getting information into the information- processing system, or learning it, and organizing it in a form suitable for storing.
Rehearsal
A strategy for remembering that involves repeating the items the person is trying to retain.
Retrieval
The process of retrieving information from long-term memory when it is needed.
Recall Memory
Recollecting or actively retrieving objects, events, and experiences when examples or cues are not provided.
Contrast with cued recall memory and recognition memory.
Recognition Memory
Identifying an object or event as one that has been experienced before, such as when a person must select the correct answer from several options.
Contrast with cued recall memory and recall memory.
Cued Recall Memory
Recollecting objects, events, or experiences in response to a hint or cue.
Contrast with pure recall memory and recognition memory.
Implicit Memory
Memory that occurs unintentionally and without consciousness or awareness.
Contrast with explicit memory.
Explicit Memory
Memory that involves consciously recollecting the past.
Contrast with implicit memory.
Organization of Memory
A technique that involves grouping or classifying stimuli into meaningful clusters.
Metamemory
A person’s knowledge about memory and about monitoring and regulating memory processes.
Metacognition
Knowledge of the human mind and of the range of cognitive processes, including thinking about personal thought processes.
Automatization
The process by which in- formation processing becomes effortless and highly efficient as a result of continued practice or increased expertise.
Autobiographical Memory
Memory of everyday events that the individual has experienced.