Lecture "Cognitive Development" (Task 4) Flashcards
Why is the human mind compared to a computer?
Because both have limited capacity to process information and both process information by applying logical rules and strategies
Computers are better information processor by changing in..
hard/software
Hardware: e.g. RAM, external drive, microchips
Software: programming
Children are better thinkers by changes in ..
hard/software
hardware: brain / senses / muscles
software: rules / strategies
On which 2 ideas is the information processing theory based on?
- humans have limited capacities
2. humans can flexibly apply strategies
In which two broad areas does development of information processing increases?
- Capacity
(memory span, attention span, processing speed) - strategy use
(number and efficiency, speed)
Into which 3 specific areas can information processing be divided?
memory
attention
problem solving
According to the (multi) store model of information processing what does the sensory register do?
The sensory register represents sights and sounds directly and stores them briefly
According to the (multi) store model of information processing, what are the functions of the central executive?
- coordinates incoming information with information in the system
- controls attention
- selects, applies, and monitors the effectiveness of strategies
According to the (multi) store model of information processing what does the working, or Short-term memory do?
Working or short-term memory holds limited amount of information that worked on to facilitate memory and problem solving
According to the (multi) store model of information processing what does long-term memory do?
Long-term memory stores information permanently
Name 3 memory structures
- Sensory memory
- Short-term or working memory
- Long-term memory
Name 4 characteristics of sensory memory
it is unlimited
makes exact copies
is very brief
it decays
Name 4 characteristics of short-term or working memory
it is active information
has limited capacity
has few bits of information
it decays
Name 2 short-term memory tasks
- Which items were shown (2 Bilder die man vergleichen muss wie früher im Restaurant)
- What was the place of digit
Name 4 characteristics of Long-term memory
it is relatively long
has unlimited capacity
is not in all-or-none form
has developmental changes
Define recognition
Is it easier than recall?
you recognize stimulus which are identical or similar
its easier than recall
define recall
is it easier than recognition?
When does it appear?
Recall is mental representation
it is more difficult than recognition
recall appears during the first year
What did the video of movie recall of an 18-month old baby show?
A baby which was playing with a phone. It imitated a phone conversation.
The memory strategy of rehearsal develops at a age of
from about 4-5 years
The memory strategy of organization develops at a age of ..
about 6-7 years
its about putting items into categories
The memory strategy of elaboration develops at a age of..
about 11-12 years
How does the video show the inability of 4 year old to categorize?
It shows a 4 year old boy who gets 4 cards presented where 3 of 4 belong to the same category. The boy is always able to explain what he is seeing on the card but he is not able to put the cards into categories and to exclude the different card.
Why can children remember more with age? (biological reason)
Children are able to remember more with age because the hippocampus as well as the prefrontal cortex are developing
define attention
Attention is the ability to focus on a particular stimulus without becoming distracted
Name 2 types of attention
When do they develop?
- Sustained attention = stay focused on task; increases sharply around 2-3 years
- Selective attention = focus on relevant aspect of task
improves strongly between age 6-12
Name 2 types of inhibition
- Cognitive inhibition
2. response inhibition
define Cognitive inhibition
Cognitive inhibition is the ability to control distracting stimuli
Internal: thoughts
External: distraction
define Response inhibition
Response inhibition is the ability to withhold an action
control behavior in social situations
Which experiment tests inhibition ?
The Marshmallow Experiment
name 4 kinds of development of attentional strategies and when they develop
- Production deficiency (3-4 years)
- Control Efficiency (5-6 years)
- Utilization deficiency (7-8 years)
- Effective strategy use (9-10 years)
define problem solving
While Problem solving you move from a current state to a goal state
What does a mental process involves ?
name 3 things
- discovering
- analyzing
- resolving
Name 4 components of problem solving
- Representation
- Planning
- Strategy Choice
- Transferring Skills
Name 5 steps in planing
- Postponing action to weight alternatives
- organizing task materials
- remembering steps of plan
- monitoring how well plan works
- revising if necessary
Who solved the problem better the chimpanzees or the children?
The first task, both solved very good
The second one, chimpanzees solved better than the children
define executive function
Executive function is the ability to control and coordinate one’s own cognitive processes
define metacognition
Metacognition is the awareness and knowledge of own cognitive processes
Name 3 examples of metacognition
- Predicting how well you will doing on the exam on this course
- Knowing what information about this lecture is important
- Knowing which parts of the textbook are important
Which impact does the development of prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortex have on problem solving?
- increase content knowledge
- develop more efficient strategies
- Develop metacognitive knowledge
Siegler developed a model of strategy choice which is called Overlapping Waves Theory
Explain the theory
Describes a process in which a child try a variety of strategies; it observes how well they work; and than gradually select those giving the best result
Name an advantage of the Information Processing Theory of cognition
Is a break down of components
Name 2 limitations of the Information Processing Theory of cognition
It is not a comprehensive theory
It does not consider other aspects
Summarize the Information processing theory
What was the assumption?
- Assumption: limited processing capacity
- Development of rules and strategies
- Older children: more and faster processing
- Better focus on some aspects and ignoring others
- Changes in cognitive capacity, processing efficiency, and attentional allocation
Summarize Memory
- Ability to store and retrieve information • Improvements in memory span
- Improvements in memory strategies
- Increases reflect brain maturation of hippocampus and frontal lobes
Summarize Attention
- Focus on particular stimulus without distraction
- Improvement in sustained and selective attention
- Improvement in attentional strategies
- Improvement of inhibition
- Brain maturation of prefrontal cortex
Summarize Problem Solving
- Increase in planning abilities
- Improvement in effective strategy use
- Improvement in analyzing
- Increase in metacognitive awareness
- Brain maturation of frontal, temporal & parietal cortex
