CH 6.2: Information Processing

Question 1

what does the info processing theory compare human cognition to?

Answer 1

computer hardware and software

Question 2

3 components of mental hardware

Answer 2

sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory

Question 3

sensory memory

Answer 3

unanalyzed info only held for a few seconds

Question 4

working memory

Answer 4

active and cognitive manipulation of info

Question 5

long-term memory

Answer 5

permanent storage of info

Question 6

which memory is known to have some facts that are hard to access?

Answer 6

long-term

Question 7

procedural memory

Answer 7

remembering how to do things

Question 8

semantic memory

Answer 8

memory of facts

Question 9

episodic memory

Answer 9

memory for an individual’s unique events experienced

Question 10

some basic mental tasks that mental software refers to

Answer 10

reading, doing math, finding one’s way to school

Question 11

steps of mental software

Answer 11

1. understand question
2. search memory for list (of previously accomplished similar tasks)
3. compare question with list
4. respond

Question 12

neo-Piagetian approach

Answer 12

movement from one of Piaget’s stages to another was due to advancements in info processing skills

Question 13

habituation vs dishabituation

Answer 13

habituation: as the stimulus becomes more familiar to us, we respond to it less
dishabituation: becoming actively aware of the stimulus again

Question 14

orienting response

Answer 14

a physical reaction to a strong/unfamiliar stimulus

Question 15

how is orienting useful to infants?

Answer 15

it makes them aware of potentially dangerous events

Question 16

infants who are more efficient at processing information tend to have higher what throughout early childhood?

Answer 16

executive function

Question 17

classical conditioning

Answer 17

a previously neutral stimulus elicits a response that was originally produced by an unconditioned reinforcer

Question 18

operant conditioning

Answer 18

how consequences affect whether or not the preceding behavior will continue to occur

Question 19

4 ways that children learn

Answer 19

habituation, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, imitation

Question 20

3 important features of a 2-3mo old’s memory

Answer 20

1. past event is remembered
2. over time, event can no longer be recalled
3. a cue can recall the supposed forgotten memory

Question 21

phenomenon of humans not remembering much from when they were under 3-4yrs old

Answer 21

infantile amnesia

Question 22

possible explanations of infantile amnesia

Answer 22

-we rely on language to represent our past
-a sense of self (achieved around 3yrs old) serves as the basis for organizing the events in our life

Question 23

what did babies do that signified they can distinguish between objects based on number?

Answer 23

after becoming habituated to pictures of 2 objects they stared longer at a new picture of 3 objects

Question 24

egocentric frame of reference (Piaget)

Answer 24

infants think of the position of objects exclusively in terms of its position relative to themselves (infant’s understanding early on of env. is limited)

Question 25

objective frame of reference (Piaget)

Answer 25

infants think of an object’s location relative to the position of other objects

Question 26

children shift from _____ to ______ frame of reference

Answer 26

egocentric to objective

Question 27

2 scales of the Bayley scales of infant development

Answer 27

mental and motor

Question 28

one challenge to the use of psyc. tests to measure differences in infants

Answer 28

often don’t validly assess people from all cultures, specifically Indigenous people

Question 29

are infant intelligence test scores generally related to intelligence scores in later childhood?

Answer 29

no

Question 30

what hormone has an impact on learning and memory in infants?

Answer 30

cortisol