Information Processing Flashcards
What is the information processing approach?
A general approach to understand how people think about things. Asks how this changes over the lifespan and why it changes.
What are processes?
All cognitive skills, including perception, learning, memory etc.
How is the mind like a computer?
Computer: Input information—> storage/computation—> output
Mind: Encoding (input)—> storage/processing—> output (behaviour, thought, speech)
What is working memory?
Essentially, what you’re thinking about at the moment. Can include STM encoding, working with information, anything retrieved from LTM>
How does working memory and STM increase with age with respect to digit memorizing?
2.5 years: Can remember 2 digits
7 yrs: Can remember 4-5 things
Adolescence: Around 7
Adults: 7+ or - 2.
What does working memory capacity predict?
IQ, school grades across all subjects
What does it mean by working memory creates a bottle neck?
Only so much information can get in at any given time. Lower working memory means the bottleneck is slimmer.
What happens if the bottle neck is slimmer?
Allows less information in, difficulty following complex instructions, loss of thought train, abandonment of work.
How does poverty relate to working memory?
Kids from poverty have a lower working memory capacity. Years spent in poverty predicts the reduction in WM. Likely due to stress hormones which can impair brain structure and functioning, especially in memory and planning areas.
How does processing speed relate to working memory?
Makes it better. The faster you can repeat words and numbers, the more you keep in your memory. Faster processing improves memory scores.
What are some tasks that can help us determine processing speed?
Visual search tasks, mental addition, name-retrieval task.
How does processing speed change across the lifespan?
Time rapidly decreases around 8-11, and plateaus around 12-13. Same results universally. Demonstrates that it may be biological
Why does processing speed change the same universally?
Myelination or pruning.
Why does synaptic pruning happen?
Many synapses in early life have identical functions, ensures that babies will learn the skill (Back up plan). Some connections are useless. Some neurons wait around so they can get a more useful job later on. rees up neurons to take on new functions. Efficiency.
What is Sieglers model of strategy choice?
Focuses on how we change how we think about information. For any task, we can use many different strategies to try to solve it. Some work, and some don’t, some are efficient, some aren’t. Kids discover and attempt strategies. Natural selection processes weeds out bad/inefficient strategies. Have to become competent in the strategy in order for it to be the best.
What are the 3 different types of attention?
1) sustained
2) selective
3) adaptable
What is sustained attention?
Ability to focus for a duration of time. Distractions are usually due to selective attention or boredom
What happens biologically when an infant pays attention to something interesting?
Heart rate and breathing drops
What are infants most attracted to?
Bright, shiny, novel, human like things.
When does sustained attention increase the most sharply?
Between 2-3.5 years.
What kinds of things require sustained attention?
Goal-directed actions. Increases in sustained attention make goals become more complex and longer in duration.
What part of the brain is increased sustained attention associated with?
Prefrontal cortex growth.
What is selective attention?
Being able to tune out irrelevant information.
When does selective attention increase?
Between ages 6-11.
What was the study done on selective attention?
Show people pictures of cars. Ask if it was safe/unsafe to cross. Researchers added auditory/visual distractions. No distractions is best, 2 is worst. There is always an increase in percent correct
What is adaptable attention?
Ability to flexibly adapt our attention to changing task requirements.
What is perseveration and when does this happen?
When children are unable to adapt their attention to changing task requirements. Continue what you were doing even after it’s not what you’re supposed to do. Children under 5 have trouble with this.
What is ADHD?
Inattention, impulsivity, and excessive activity. Inability to maintain/control attention as well as hyperactivity
Why is ADHD more frequently diagnosed in boys (even though it’s equal amongst boys and girls)
Boys are more likely to be hyperactive and this is easier to recognize. Girls are more likely to be quieter but have attentional deficits.
What are the biological origins of ADHD?
Highly heritable. Related to low levels of serotonin and dopamine, reduced electrical and blood flow activity in the brain. No inhibition in brain
What are the environmental origins of ADHD?
Teratogens, alcohol, tobacco, pollution, stress at home is correlated (unclear which causes which)-does ADHD cause more stress at home or is ADHD caused by stress at home?
What types of treatments are available for ADHD?
Medications are most common. Stimulants areost effective-creates increased activity in frontal lobes which creates increased inhibition. Behavioural reinforcement, and family intervention
What are the pros and cons of meds?
Pros: Gives one control over their body
Cons: Flattened personality, life in a fog, appetite suppressant
Why is ADHD so controversial?
Many kids grow out of it. Is both treatable and non-treatable. Around the world there are different rates of diagnosis.
How can the parent-child relationship create a worse environment for a kid with ADHD?
Strained parents may act inconsistently or punitive. Leads to defiance and aggression.
What is verbatim memory and is it effective?
Remembering something “word for word”. Not efficient because it requires lots of storage space
What is gist memory?
The overall meaning without details. Kids switch from verbatim to gist!
What is the difference in gist and verbatim memory in Preschoolers and 2nd Graders?
Preschoolers: Do better on verbatim test than gist
2nd Graders: Better on gist than verbatim, but verbatim also increases. Better overall memory
What is semantic memory?
General facts and knowledge
What happens as we get more facts into our semantic memory?
It becomes easier to add new information, easier to relate it to something we already know. Memory and learning grows!
What is elaborative rehearsal?
When we relate semantic memory to things we already know to make it easier to remember.
What is episodic memory?
Our personal experiences. Can usually answer who, what, where, and when. Mental time travel. Develops later than semantic
When does episodic memory develop?
Around 4 years.
What is Early Amnesia?
Refers to the fact that many of us can’t remember anything prior to 3-4 years old. Typically remember a fairly major event
When does infantile amnesia happen and what is characteristic of it?
0-2 years. Usually have no episodic memories.
When does childhood amnesia start and what is characteristic of it?
2-6 years. Steep gains in memory. Memory is “flaky”, some stuff sticks, and some doesn’t.
When does episodic memory plateau and become adult like?
7 years
How could the hippocampus relate to infantile amnesia?
Hippocampus is critical in forming long-term memories. Matures around age 2.
How do the frontal lobes relate to having a flaky memory in childhood?
Areas in the frontal lobe are important for memory retrieval. Matures around age 6
How is language related to early amnesia?
We may have a hard time retrieving early memories due to the fact that adults use language based coding to remember. Kids have very little language capacity, so use motor or visual coding. When we learn language, we lose the retrieval cues to pull visual and motor memories out.
