lecture 7- information processing theories Flashcards
piaget-advances in the field
-Piaget was an early pioneer of child development research
-his models and theories encouraged further research into child development
eg biallergeon’s voe experiment
the field of cognitive development was influenced by
-piagets early theories about development occuring in stages
-rise in research on adult cognition
-developments in technology (the metaphor of the computer)
cognitive developmental psychology has many ______
-name a key one
models
-information processing model
information processing model
slater (1988) what did he describe it as
-a framework of how humans think,reason and learn, view human cognitive functioning as analogous to the operation of a computer (so reason like a computer)
information processing model
explain how mental processes are similar to computers
input info — to perform operations— and then outputs a function
computer as analogies for human cognition
-space
-speed
-hardware
space- both are limited in the amount of info that can be simultaneously processed
speed-both are limited in how quickly information can be processed
hardware - both rely on the functioning of physical hardware
what are information processing psychologists interested in
how the processing systems operate in real time
* E.g.
,* What mental processes is a child engaging in?
* How does the child transform, manipulate, or use information?
* How does processing change across development?
* What are the constraints to developmental changes?
assumptions of information processing
-mental activity is continuous
-mental activity takes time
longer time between input to output indicates
-greater mental activity needed
-slower processing of information
information processing model - methodology
-task based experimentation
What tasks?
-Researcher must identify goals, environmental obstacles, and processing strategies for a problem
* Researcher must carefully design stimuli to isolate the specific cognitive operation
reliance on temporal variables
how long it takes a child to respond —–> insight into processing speed
how to measure ‘processing’
-methodology
-eye movement analysis
-error analysis method
-microgenetic method
eye movement analysis
-child is presented with a stimuli
-use of eye movements (location, length of time , etc) to provide insights into processing
-use of eye tracking technology is a helpful advancement
error analysis method
-child is presented with balance scale, there are weights on each side
important details
are
-how many weights
-distance from centre
-the child predicts which side will go down. the childs answer provides insight into how the problem solving develops
siegler (1978)
microgenetic method
-child represented with a large number of trials of the same task
-presented over weeks/months
-reveals moment to moment changes in child’s cognitive performance
siegler 2006
what does the information processing model say about children’s cognitive growth
-children’s cognitive growth occurs constantly
this contrasts to piagets ideas
computer comparison-what do computer say about cognitive growth /development in information processing
development in information processing is limited by hardware and software
hardware - memory capacity, efficiency of thought processes
software- useful strategies and knowledge
how does cognitive development arise through gradually overcoming processing limitations
1) expansion of amount of information processed at one time
2) increasingly efficient execution of basic processes
3) acquisition of new strategies and knowledge
how does sensory memory, working memory and long term memory differ?
differ in retention, duration, mount of stored information, underlying neural mechanisms and developmental pattern
Sensory memory: Capacity of sensory memory is relatively constant
- Working memory: Basic organization of working memory subsystems constant from early childhood; capacity and processing speed increase greatly over childhood and adolescence
- Long-term memory: develops quickly and steadily, followed by a plateau in older children and during adolescence
frequently used basic processes
-how can these help with memory
-which process is especially relevant
-simplest and most frequently used mental activities include : encoding, association, recognition, recall, generalisation
-with development more efficiently executed; enhances memory and learning
-encoding is especially relevant
-only encoded information can be remembered
the development of memory : encoding
-with development more efficiently executed; enhances memory and learning
can we figure out what children encode (what they encode will tell us what they remember)
5 year olds struggle with the error analysis method - they struglle to take weight as well as distance into account
-in this case children aren’t encoding distance but they are encoding weight
how does processing speed differ through ages
-increases most rapidly at young ages , but continues to increase through adolescence
processing speed
-when did they start to track processing speed/how
-how does processing speed influence memory
-in late 1980s , 1990s.
- (in the slides )Kail (1991) graphed performance of processing speed, along 4 different types of mental abilities (mental rotation, memory search, visual search , name retrieval
-converging evidence that significant increases in information processing speed lead to developmental changes in memory
acquisition and growth of strategies (in helping development of memory)
-when do strategies often emerge
-examples of this
many emerge between 5 and 8 years of age
- eg rehearsal , selective attention
content knowledge ( in development of memory)
-how does knowledge increase
-with age and experience, knowledge increases
-improves recall of new material by making it easier to integrate with existing understanding by
how does improved knowledge content help in the development of memory
-improves recall of new material by making it easier to integrate with existing understanding by….
-improved encoding
-providing useful associations
-indicating what is possible and what is not
the development of memory - knowledge
expert novice paradigm
-where they compare children and adults who play chess and who don’t play chess
-expert is someone who plays tons and tons of chess and novice is new
-they had children and adults look at a board of pieces
-and test how much they can remember about the board- can they remember spatially where each piece went- and does it matter how much experience they have
expert novice paradigm
results
explanation
-it does matter how much experience they have
-child experts perform similar to adult experts
-child experts outperform adult novices
-chess experts encode higher level chunks of information that include the positions of several pieces in relation to each other rather than encoding the information for each piece separately
shape of development
piaget vs siegler opinion on mechanisms of change
piaget
development is a series of steps with brief periods of transition between each step
siegler
-development is constant like overlapping waves
graphs of both in slides
mechanisms of change
-the overlapping waves model
-in the overlapping waves model children use a variety of strategies to solve a problem
- the transition between new strategies from old strategies reflects flexibility in cognition
-children change strategies over time , going up and down (look at the slides)
overlapping waves model
-describe how strategies change in a person overtime
Young children usually use the simplest strategy (strategy1), but sometimes they use 2 or 4
- With age and experience, better strategies become more prevalent
- New strategies are generated and used increasingly if more effective than previous ones
- Children continue to use old strategies as they practice new strategies
-this is an experimentation process, it doesn’t happen in stages as Piaget suggests , it happens gradually with crossovers
evidence for the overlapping waves model
study by siegler et al using microgenetic method
-describe whats being tested
-describe the study
-the results
-tested the same children repeatedly over short period of time, when change in performance is occurring
(presenting the same problem over and over again to see when children use a particular strategy and how/ when they switch , and how quickly that happens)
-allows examination of strategy acquisition on trial by trial basis
-did this study in 6 sessions with 4-5 year olds
-used addition problems
-4 main strategies : counting aloud using fingers, counting on fingers, counting out loud, retrieving answers from memory
-only 20% consistently used one strategy
-when given the exact same problem twice , 30% used a new strategy, so some sort of memory of what strategy they used and how effective it was
the overlapping waves model
-implications (readiness for change)
-when children are learning to solve a task , they have a range of different strategies available
- variability in strategies provides a ‘readiness’ to learn from new experiences
shape of development -
-piaget and rules
-kail
-siegler
summary
-piaget said it was in stages
-kail had continuous development
-Siegler had these overlapping waves
piaget vs information processing models
COMPARE each model
-what develops
-continuity vs discontinuity
-mechanism
what develops
piaget - logical structures
kail - processing capacity
siegler - rules and strategy
continuity vs discontinuity
piaget - shifts (stages)
kail - smooth lines - continuous
siegler - overlapping lines
mechanism
piaget - adaptation
kail - maturation
siegler - evolution
evaluation of the theory
-ability to express complexity of thought
-analysis of performance and change
-methodology is really important in determining how skills are developed and at what age
limitations
-shortcomings of models and models and metaphors
-problems adressing certain developmental issues
-neglect of context
