Week 5: Information processing theory Flashcards
What is the human information-processing store model? What are the different components/ steps ?
Input → Sensory Register: The sensory register briefly stores raw information from the environment (e.g., sights and sounds). Most sensory input fades quickly unless attended to.
Short-Term/Working Memory: If attention is placed on a stimulus, it moves into short-term memory (or working memory). This system holds a limited amount of information for temporary use, such as problem-solving or achieving immediate goals.
Long-Term Memory: Some information from working memory is encoded into long-term memory, a structured network of stored knowledge. Effective organization enhances retrieval. When recalling information, it is transferred back into working memory to be used for a task.
Central Executive: The central executive oversees and regulates the entire process. It coordinates incoming information, integrates it with existing knowledge, and applies strategies to facilitate the transfer of information into long-term memory.
How does information processing improve with age?
-Both short-term and working memory spans increases steadily with age this means they can handle more complex tasks and solve problems more efficiently
-Faster processing speed, the brain is more efficient at encoding, retrieving and manipulating information again meaning quicker decisions and problem-solving
-Central executive more refined - older children can focus more on relevant information, ignore distractions and apply memory strategies (e.g. rehearsal, grouping, elaboration)
-Greater knowledge base - with age accumulate knowledge facilitates new learning as you can relate the information to what you already have.
What can problems with short term memory contribute to?
Learning difficulties: might not be able to retain new information, follow instructions especially multistep instructions effectively, solve problems, pay attention etc.
Selective attention. How does this change with age?
Selective attention: the ability to deliberately concentrate on one thing and ignore something
Attention becomes more selective with age.
Attraction to novelty declines in toddlerhood making sustained attention more possible. Parents can support this by playing alongside the toddler making comments to bring the child’s attention to the task at hand.
Graph showing gains in selective
attention from age 6 to 11 years on a task
requiring children to distinguish safe from dangerous road-crossing scene. Younger children got less correct responses when there were auditory and visual/ auditory distractors present compared to older children.
Inhibition. What age does it improve form?
-The ability to control internal and external distracting stimuli.
* By controlling irrelevant stimuli, inhibition frees up working memory resources
* Inhibitory control improves from infancy
What are some classic children’s games that involve inhibition?
-Simon says as able to hold back and not follow the instruction - from 3/4 years children are able to play
-What’s the time Mr wolf/ sneak up granny
What does the stroop test show?
It tests inhibition as you have to inhibit the dominant reading response in order to say the colour of the word text not the word itself
What was the purpose of the box experiment by Berk discussed in lectures?
Children presented with box, doors that could be opened were position along the box– half had house image (indicating there was a household item behind). Half at cages (indicating an animal was behind)>
The children had time to study then had to remember the location (point) to either all household objects or animals
The purpose was to test if…
1. the child could remember the locations of all the items they were meant to find
2. See what attentional strategies the child engaged in during the task
What are the four stages in the development of attentional strategies and what ages are they associated with?
① Production deficiency: Preschool years → children rarely engage in attentional strategies
② Control deficiency: Early primary school years → children sometimes produce strategies but not consistently
③ Utilization deficiency: Early to mid primary school years → children execute strategies efficiently but performance either doesn’t improve or improves less than older children
④ Effective strategy use: Mid primary school years → children use
strategies efficiently and performance improves
NOTE = in class we used the example of having to remember the items in a box after given time to study the image. Most of us used some sort of strategy like grouping according to colour, category or rehearsing over but children as you can see from the stages above might not or might use them less effectively depending on their age.
Recognition
Noticing that a stimulus is identical or
similar to one previously experienced
- Easier than recall
- What you (ideally) do when answering a
multiple choice test question
Recall
Generating a mental representation of an
absent stimulus
- Involves recollecting or actively retrieving
objects, events and experiences when
examples and cues are not provided. - More difficult than recognition
- What is required of you when you answer
an open-ended test question
Reconstruction
The type of memory that involves recoding information while it is in the mental system or being retrieved.
- What you do when you recall and retell a story, and condense, integrate and add information.
Semantic Memory
- Our vast general knowledge system,
consisting of concepts, language
meanings, facts, and rules E.g. Knowing that a devastating earthquake
and tsunami occurred in Japan on the 11th
of March 2011
Children begin developing semantic
knowledge (e.g. categories & word
meanings) during infancy and have a
considerable knowledge base by the time
they reach early childhood
Episodic Memory
Recollections of personally
experienced events * E.g. Remembering where you were
and what you were doing when you
first heard about Japan’s 2011 earth
and tsunami
A well-functioning episodic memory
system is not in place until about 3
or 4 years of age
Metacognition and it’s development (3, 6 and 10 years)
- Metacognition= Awareness and understanding
of various aspects of thought. ‘thinking about thinking’ example = explain how you work through a math problem - By 3 years old children are aware
that thinking takes place in their heads
But they view the mind as a passive container - Children younger than 6 focus on outcomes of thought rather than the process of thinking
- By 10 years old, children understand
the cognitive processes are interrelated
Regard the mind as an active, constructive agent
Advantages of Information-Processing Approach
Breaks complex
cognitive activities into
precise components
- Provides details of
age- and skill-related
differences - Describes precise
mechanisms of
cognitive development
Limitations of information processing approach
Components hard to
combine into broad
picture
- Computer metaphors
simplify real-life
experience; overlooks
nonlinear aspects,
interaction with others - Slow to include biology,
evolution
