Cognitive Psychology Questions

a. we can remember info or facts better when we organize them hierarchically, from general to specific b. new info can be stored in semantic networks, meaning that info is incorporated into the correct region of memory c. A shchema is a preexisting mental concept which helps us organize and interpret new info, fills gaps in long term memories d. connectionism, parallel-distributed processing (several work together to form one memory)

a. working memory, proposed by Alan Baddeley: 3 part system that holds info temporarily while person is working on cognitive task (limited capacity )b. is an active memory system and is considered separate from short-term memory c. 1st part is phonological loop d 2nd part is visuospatial working memory e. 3rd part is central executive f. concept of working memory can hep us understand how brain damage affects cognitive skills (deficits in working memory can be found in patients w Alzheimer disease)-Baddeley feel that these can be traced to central executive, which coordinates different mental activities

is a 2nd type of explicit memory, it pertains to info about the world. general, everyday, and academic knowledge but not personal

1. elaboration is how extensive processing is at any level 2. takes place when a person not only remembers the definition of a stimulus, but also adds meaning to it3. by elaborating on stimulus, we are making that stimulus distinctive and unique. (more unique= able to remember better)4. as encoding becomes more elaborate and unique, more information is stored (when we elaborate on material, we memorize it w out trying)5. relating materials to your own experience, self referencing 6. researchers have linked the process of elaboration of information is linked to neural activity, especially in left frontal lobe of brain

occurs when we attend only to certain things in the environment, ignore other stimuli and only attend to a specific aspect of an experience.

involves taking info that a person has already learned out of storage in order to learn new information

1. most powerful ways to remember info is using mental imagery. ex: Akira Haraguchi in 2005 recited the digits of pi to the first 83,431 decimal places. 2. classic studies by Allan Paivio elicited the dual-code hypothesis, pictures are stored as both image codes and verbal codes

occurs when we have to pay attention to several different things at the same time

occurs when we are paying attention to the physical attributes of a stimulus

claims that memory for pictures is better than memory for works because pictures are stored as both image codes and verbal codes

1. the shallow level 2.intermediate level 3. deepest level 4. studies have shown that a persons memory improves when processing is at the deepest level

A. memory is defined as the retention of information or experience over time. -memory occurs through 3 important processes: 1. encoding 2. storage 3. retrieval

is the ability to maintain attention to a selected stimulus for a prolonged period of time. ex:studying notes

-storage determines how information is represented in history -Atkinson-Shriffin theory: states that there are 3 systems in memory storage

is defined as the way in which information is processed for storage in memory

1.in order to encode info we must pay attention to it, selective attention 2. divided attention, 3. sustained attention 4. divided attention can have negative effects on encoding, multitasking, which involves dividing attention between 2 or more tasks, compromises info getting to memory 5. recent studies have indicated that students text messaging during class is related to learning less course material, multitasking is also associated with symptoms of depression and social anxiety.

occurs when we think of the stimulus meaning and make associations (more association=deeper processing)

_________ is defined as the retention of information or experience over time

relating materials to to your own experiences, effective way of elaborating information