Reading: How Thinking Works

Question 1

Thinking has how many components?

Answer 1

Thinking has three components: the interaction between the environment, our working memory and our long-term memory.

Question 2

Working memory is also called….

Answer 2

Working memory is also called short-term memory.

Question 3

We have “working memory”. What is another type of memory we have?

Answer 3

We have “working memory” and long-term memory.

Question 4

What kind of things do we hold in long-term memory?

Answer 4

In our long-term memory, we hold factual knowledge of the world, abstract knowledge (such as rectangles have four sides), and procedural knowledge or skills.

Question 5

Where do we keep our factual knowledge of the world?

Answer 5

We keep our factual knowledge of the world in long-term memory.

Question 6

Where do we keep our procedural knowledge or skills?

Answer 6

Procedural knowledge or skills (such as being able to ride a bike) are stored in long-term memory.

Question 7

How much can we keep in our long term memory?

Answer 7

Our long-term memory is vast. In theory, there is no limit to how much we can store in it.

Question 8

How many things can we keep in our working memory?

Answer 8

Our working memory is very limited. Research shows we can only store between 1 and 7 items in our working memory at any one time.

Question 9

In what ways are our brains similar to computers?

Answer 9

Our brains are similar to computers in that we have different types of memory that are used at the same time. In a computer, there is RAM and ROM. Our brains have working memory and long-term memory.

Question 10

What is working memory?

Answer 10

Working memory is the place where we hold all the things we are thinking about.

Question 11

Which part of our memory is the part which is aware of the world around us?

Answer 11

Our working memory is the part of our memory which is conscious of the world around us.

Question 12

Can we be aware of things not currently in the environment?

Answer 12

We can be aware of things that are not currently in the environment. If, for example, we are thinking about a movie we saw last week, that awareness is in our working memory. However, the movie is not currently in our environment.

Question 13

Can things move from long-term memory into working memory?

Answer 13

Things can be “retrieved” from long-term memory and then be in our working memory. Any fact or procedure, or abstract knowledge currently on our minds (that we didn’t just read or get told etc.) has come from long-term memory.

Question 14

Do things from long-term memory disappear if they go into our working memory?

Answer 14

By definition, things in our long-term memory are there long-term! If we retrieve them and are aware of them (in our working memory), they do not actually leave our long-term memory.

Question 15

Can things disappear from our working memory?

Answer 15

Our working memory is very limited. Things come and go all the time.

Question 16

What is thinking?

Answer 16

Thinking is simply combining information (from the environment and long-term memory) in new ways. That combining takes place in working memory.

Question 17

Why plan an essay?

Answer 17

You should plan essays because it frees up working memory - and so can improve your writing.

Question 18

What is wrong with trying to write without a plan?

Answer 18

Trying to write without a plan can overload your working memory. This will lead to much weaker answers.

Question 19

If we carefully practice essay skills such as planning, introductions, paragraphs, and conclusions, where do we store that ability?

Answer 19

If we carefully practice essay skills such as planning, introductions, paragraphs, and conclusions, we store that new ability in our long-term memory.

Question 20

If we carefully practice essay skills such as planning, introductions, paragraphs, and conclusions, why does that help our essay writing?

Answer 20

If we carefully practice essay skills such as planning, introductions, paragraphs, and conclusions, our essay writing improves because we have better skills and MORE WORKING MEMORY AVAILABLE TO THINK MORE EFFECTIVELY.