Learning about Learning Flashcards
What is Einstellung?
It is a mental rut caused by prior learning patterns, preventing one from finding the correct answer.
What is the Interleaving technique?
It is the gaining of mastery by practicing jumping back and forth between problems or situations that require different techniques or strategies.
Why would one want to use the Interleaving technique?
It is for understanding not only how to use something, but also, more importantly, when to use it.
What is the name of the idea that a chunk can be related in surprising ways to similar chunks, not only in that field but also in very different fields?
Transfer
What is a way of compressing information much more compactly?
A chunk
What is a neuromodulator?
Neuromodulators are chemicals that influence how a neuron responds to other neurons.
What type of neuron is important for focused learning?
Acetylcholine (ə-ˌse-tᵊl-ˈkō-ˌlēn)
Which neuromodulator is released when we receive an unexpected reward?
Dopamine
Lower levels of which neuromodulator is closely linked to risk-taking behavior?
Serotonin
What are the four parts of a habit?
- Cue
- Routine
- Reward
- Belief
Explain the use of Process vs. Product to help tackle procrastination.
Process focuses upon starting to accomplish something without worrying about the final product. Focusing upon process rather than product helps one to get started rather than doing nothing at all. Focusing upon the product itself is what can trigger pain and, therefore, procrastination.
What are the 4 categories of habit cues?
- location
- time
- how one feels
- reaction to something that just happened
How does belief work with regards to overcoming a procrastination habit?
Believing that one can successfully rewire a habit helps overcome the temptation to fall back into the old procrastination response.
Which of our memory systems have exceled over time?
- Visual (how things look)
- Spatial (where things are)
How can one take an abstract fact and commit it to memory more easily?
Create a corresponding mental image of the fact in order to commit the fact to our visual and spatial memory. This makes the abstract fact more easily recalled.
What part of the brain is important for learning and memory?
Hippocampus
How does the process of consolidation work?
An active memory is stored in long-term memory by modifying synapses on the dendrites of neurons.
How does the process of reconsolidation work?
An inactive long-term memory is reactivated, and then can be transferred back into long-term memory, altered by the new context under which it was reactivated.
What cells in the brain provide nutrients to neurons and may have an important role in learning?
Astrocytes
What is the most effective way to help new neurons survive?
Exercise
What are the two critical periods of brain development, and what are the new abilities?
The first 2 years prepare vision, and language development occurs through puberty.
What skills involve the prefrontal cortex?
- Learning
- Language
- Planning
- Decision making
What part of the brain is a source of dreams and creative ideas?
Sensory cortex
Why do some teenagers have trouble controlling impulsive behavior?
The myelin sheaths, a fatty insulation that helps signals move more quickly along a neuron, sometimes don’t finish developing until the twenties.
Which brain hemisphere helps us step back and get a big picture perspective?
Right hemisphere
How does the left hemisphere differ from the right in regards to the status quo?
The left hemisphere clings to the status quo while the right questions it.
What is an advantage of studying in a group?
It can act as a check on the tendency of the left hemisphere to assume one’s assumptions and conclusions are correct.
