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.