ED PSYCH 331 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Memory Span, Information Processing, Cognitive Architecture
7 Mar 2017
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Information processing theorists: cognitive development involves changes in content structure and processing of information. Human mind as a symbol manipulating system. Neither piaget or vygotsky gave fine- grained explanations for how cognition works. Cognition = mental processes like thinking, planning, reasoning, remembering. Information processing identifies specific systems and mechanisms of the human cognitive architecture. Still figuring this out: memory span tasks (digit span, letter span, executive function = brain"s control of information processing, task switching, inhibitory control (ability to suppress a response, somewhat dependent on maturation of prefrontal cortex. A mile stone or adolescence: long term memory, effectively has no limit, can store things indefinitely, affected by/affects daily experience. Processing speed, memory span increases with age. Some think adults and kids have similar capacities, but kids lack adequate strategies to deploy those capacities. When college kids and 3rd graders recalled 30 items that included the names of saturday morning tv shows, kids cartoon characters.
