Cognitive Psychology: mental phenomenon that underlie human behavior

  1. Cognitive processes influence what is learned
  2. People's cognitive processes can sometimes be inferred from their behaviors
  3. People are selective about what they mentally process and learn (sensation vs. perception)
  4. Meanings and understandings are constructed by the learner (constuctivism)
  5. Maturational changes in the brain enable sophisticated cognitive processes with age (neuropsychology)

Model of Human Memory: information process theory (specific ways that learners mentally think about or process new information and events)

memory: ability to mentally save something that has been previously learned

leads to

storage: process of putting new information into memory

encoding: changing the format of new information as it is being stored in memory

retrieval: process of finding information previously stored in memory

sensory register: holds incoming information in an unanalyzed form for a short period of time

Types of memory: working memory (short term) and long-term memory (long term)

Long Term Memory: component that holds knowledge and skills for a relatively long time (personal life events)

astrocytes: brain cells involved in learning and memory

Types of Knowledge:

activation: degree to which something in memory is being actively attended to and mentally processed

Declarative Knowledge: concerning the nature of how things are, were, or will be (life experiences)

Procedural Knowledge: concerning how to do something (skills)

Conditional Knowledge: concerning appropriate ways to respond under various circumstance (physically or mentally)

Explicit Knowledge: consciously aware of and verbally describe

Implicit Knowledge: cannot consciously recall or explain but affects the person's thinking or behavior

concept: mental grouping of objects or events that have something in common

schema: tightly organized set of facts about a specific topic

script: schema that involves a predictable sequence of events related to a common activity (how to function at the doctors)

theory: integrated set of concepts and principles developed to explain a particular phenomenon

How Knowledge is Learned:

Declarative: Rote Learning- learning information without attaching meaning to it (Rehearsal/repetition vs. elaboration)

Prior Knowledge Activation: process of reminding learners of what they already know relative to a new topic

Procedural: combination of physical behaviors and mental activities

Meaningful learning set: attitude that one can make sense of the information one is studying

Conceptual understanding: meaningfully learner and well-integrated knowledge about a topic (logical connections)

mnemonics: memory aid or trick designed to hep students learn and remember one or more specific pieces of information

Factors affecting Retrieval: multiple connections, distinctiveness, emotional overtones (hot cognition), regular practice (automaticity), relevant cues (stimulus), and wait time (length of time)

Misconceptions and obstacles:

  1. Most Children and adolescents have a confirmation bias
  2. Students may believe that their existing beliefs better explain their experiences
  3. Some beliefs are integrated into cohesive theories
  4. Students fail to notice an inconsistency between new info and existing beliefs
  5. Students have a personal or emotional investment in their beliefs

Diversity in Cognitive Processes: girls vs. boys attention spans, general abilities, cultural background, living conditions/environment, wait time, English speaking vs. ESOL