1. Summary
Chapter 7 focused on the subject of mental imagery and cognitive maps. Within mental imagery, the chapter explains the analog code (pictorial representation) and the propositional code (descriptive representation) and the effects of rotation (both mentally and physically), size, and on a person's mental visual image. The chapter also describes factors of imagery interference and ambiguity. In the second section, the chapter explains how background information, relative position, physical representation, and distance have a great impact on individual's ability to form cognitive maps.
2. Scaffolding Information
Mental imagery connects the ideas of top down processing (ch.2 ) and the perceptual process (ch. 3) to explain how mentally imagery is formed and then perceived. The second section provides justification of individual errors on cognitive mapping. As explained in chapter 1, errors formed in cognitive processing can be traced to rational strategies. Based on this previous information, the text explains both the errors and the strategic rational for differences.
3. Questions
I don't understand why people are unable to store information in terms of mental images due to the lack of space it requires (p. 225). Doesn't the mnemonic strategy of the keyword method employ mental imagery for recall? If our brains are limited in their space, why would this mnemonic still be effective and there is still room for us to recall many other mental images?
4. Application
This information on cognitive mapping is useful in my own life as well as my future classroom. In my life, the explanation of cognitive mapping and its factors of distance and my relative position help to explain how I can form better cognitive maps for remembering things like where I parked my car. In addition, it provides insight to how students are thinking when they are learning about mapping in social studies and their personal biases from background information.
5. Real of fake
I believe that mental imagery is affected by many factors, as addressed in the book. However, I do not believe that our mind is limited to the amount of imagery we can store. There is no proof provided in the form of a statistic or experiment, so the author's claim is very hard to believe. Based on my personal experiences with recalling new locations and remembering ever-changing factors, the section on cognitive mapping seemed valid and accurate in its explanations.
6. Importance
Mentally imagery has a huge impact on our lives, both in the academic and real world setting. If we don't have a mental image for things like how much can fit in our freezer, problems result from our inability to accurately judge space versus what we buy at the grocery store. Cognitive mapping essentially enables us to find our way in a constantly changing environment.
7. Actual use for students
Students could apply mental imagery in many life skill lessons- is there enough room for you to push your chair through without bumping into others? This application is great for visual learners and I think could have positive effects on students with learning disabilities. The skill of cognitive mapping can be applied to many reading or social studies lessons to help students prepare their minds for physical recall of locations.
8. Other options
Beyond using mental imagery or cognitive mapping, physical imagery and mapping could be used. In these situations, the results could be more accurate because personal factors and biases would not come into play, allowing us to determine exactly what will fit in a space and where a location is. However, more time and energy is spent in the process of physically carrying out the activities.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
1. How can I summarize this reading in a few sentences?
This reading explains in great detail the system of mnemonics, including keyword method, method of loci, chunking, hierarchy technique, and first letter technique. The chapter also explains how memory can be improved through techniques approach, and involving attention/focus, practice, imagery, and the multi modal approach.
The chapter also focuses on metacognition, or the way that people think about their cognitive process. The chapter describes factors that affect memory, such as the allocation of time based on the difficulty of the task. Also, the tip of the tongue phenomenon, including the feeling of knowing
2. How does it fit into what I have learned already in this course?
Chapter 6 and 13 did an excellent job of reviewing the information from previous chapters to build on the effects/styles/ and approaches we have already discussed. In chapter 6, the Tip of the Tongue phenomenon is affected by consciousness (discussed in chapter 3).
3. What am I still not clear on?
In the metamemory on total score basis, it shows how people in the top and third quartile were accurate in their test score prediction, but the lower group did not know their limitations and often had overconfidence, not knowing if they know the material or not. While this effect has been reported, what about the students who under predict their scores- how does this affect the metamemory?
4. How would apply this to my own teaching/work?
The system of mnemonics and the understanding of metamory/metacognition greatly affects the way that we as teachers plan lessons and teach material for recall. If we are asking students to memorize a series of information that is of low level processing, teaching them the system and options of mnemonics increases their ability to recall the information for a test setting or random classroom review. Likewise, understanding metamemory helps us to help our students comprehend how they are doing and how they think about the tasks they need to accomplish. If students are overconfident that they know material, problems arise in the difference between what they know and what they don't know.
5. What proof does the author offer that makes me believe this is valid? Do I believe it? Why?
The author provides examples, for a lot of the principles identified in the chapters. Through personal experience, I am able to confirm that his points are valid on mnemonics and the metamemory system. However, most of his tests are [performed with college level students, which raises my skepticism towards things like the metamemory on total score basis. College students often have different mindsets than children and adults, therefore I don't believe his study on the subject can generalize the effects on children and adults.
6. Why is this important? What does it help improve or explain or predict?
This information is important because it helps us to understand our students on a higher level, opening the ability to teach them effective methods for learning and studying, rather than just presenting them with the material that they must learn and study. By teaching them how to learn/think of a task mentally, they are able to apply these techniques to any material and improve their success throughout their career.
7. When would I actually use this – under what kind of circumstances and for what kind of students?
I would use this information with everyone- no age limit defining use. For students I would teach them mnemonics to remember ROY G BIV, as a college student I use the system myself, and as an adult I might use the memory strategies to help colleagues remember my first name upon meeting them for the first time.
8. Are there other ways to accomplish the same thing that are faster, cheaper, and/or better?
Well... I am not very good at the palm pilot business or writing stuff in my phone, so technological advancements do not seem ideal for me personally. The personal recorder seems effective, but time consuming, knowing that you have to replay and listen to everything twice- definitely not faster or more efficient. I would say that writing notes is the best way to accomplish the task, other than using memory strategies. If i don't have to memorize a grocery list, why should I? Writing stuff on a piece of paper takes less time than devising a mnemonic and is more reliable!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Chapter 5- long term memory
1. This chapter focused on the long term memory and how information is stored and received both effectively and non effectively with. This chapter focuses on the episodic memory, which includes personal memories for events that happened, allowing for the individual to travel back and re-experience these moments through their memory recall. The reading explained how memories are encoded into our memories, how they are retrieved, and how information is storied in our autobiographical memory for everyday life.
2. The explanation of distinctiveness, meaning the stimulus is different from all other memory traces, correlates to lasts weeks idea of proactive interference. Like PI, distinctiveness helps to set apart information that is being processed, using unique characteristics to store the memory, for short or long term use. Thinking about this, it would be much harder to recall the names of three identical triplets than to recall three names of people who are unique and the distinctive principle can be applied.
3. I am still not clear on consistency bias in that I don't really believe that this quality is true for all individuals. With the example of thinking back to high school about a particular stance I had, I am aware that I change my emotions and ideas, as does everyone. When I recall an event from my schema, I don't think that you have a consistency bias if you first recall your emotions/ thoughts at the time, in addition to your thoughts/ideas at the present time.
4. I think the part of this chapter that is most applicable to teaching is the Pollyanna Principle and how mood affects recall of memories. When thinking about my education, I agree with the Pollyanna Principle- that I am more likely to remember the pleasant times in learning over the negative, or boring times. As teachers we worry about NCLB and time and feel like we have to teach the information just to get it over with, not always making it the most pleasant and exciting that it can be. While students may remember this information in their short term memory, a lot of it does not make it to the long-term, or can not be recalled in later years, because of presentation. Instead, if we spend a few more minutes, become a little more energetic, ensure that our students have a positive attitude in the classroom. and teacher material using unique strategies, students will learn the content and have a better recall of it in future years.
5. The explanation of the levels of processing approach states that meaningful information processing leads to more permanent retention than shallow sensory processing. This explains why some information is more easily recalled when a self-reference is use. This is very valid and believable to me, because I personally have a greater sense of recall if I use self-referencing when memorizing or applying concepts/theories to my own life. This class is a great example- without self referencing, I would not be able to recall examples or ideas as easily if I did not actually do them and relate them to my personal life.
6. This information is important for me right now because I am learning all the most effective ways and scenarios that students can recall information, which is going to be my job as a teacher. While we say that we can't control outside factors, we can accommodate factors inside the classroom to create positive and educational atmospheres where the potential to encode, store, and recall information is ideal.
7. I would use these techniques in a any elementary classroom. To create a positive mood with pleasant memories does not conflict with any students learning styles. Teaching students self-referencing and helping them apply information to their own lives is essential for elementary students to that they understand the information, it is important to them, and it is more easily recalled. As for implicit/explicit memory, I think using a combination of both techniques is beneficial to reinforce learning and allow students to learn the information through different styles and strategies.
8. There are other ways that information can be "ingrained into our long term memory" as I have heard other teachers say so often, but that produces a negative image of drilling and rote practices to teach students information that they could learn better though positive self-referencing strategies. Sure, not all of the information is going to be stored in our longterm memories, no matter how positive of self centered they may be. To accommodate for this, portfolios containing important information and work from the year as well as scrapbooks and academic journals can be used to assist in the long term memory recall.
2. The explanation of distinctiveness, meaning the stimulus is different from all other memory traces, correlates to lasts weeks idea of proactive interference. Like PI, distinctiveness helps to set apart information that is being processed, using unique characteristics to store the memory, for short or long term use. Thinking about this, it would be much harder to recall the names of three identical triplets than to recall three names of people who are unique and the distinctive principle can be applied.
3. I am still not clear on consistency bias in that I don't really believe that this quality is true for all individuals. With the example of thinking back to high school about a particular stance I had, I am aware that I change my emotions and ideas, as does everyone. When I recall an event from my schema, I don't think that you have a consistency bias if you first recall your emotions/ thoughts at the time, in addition to your thoughts/ideas at the present time.
4. I think the part of this chapter that is most applicable to teaching is the Pollyanna Principle and how mood affects recall of memories. When thinking about my education, I agree with the Pollyanna Principle- that I am more likely to remember the pleasant times in learning over the negative, or boring times. As teachers we worry about NCLB and time and feel like we have to teach the information just to get it over with, not always making it the most pleasant and exciting that it can be. While students may remember this information in their short term memory, a lot of it does not make it to the long-term, or can not be recalled in later years, because of presentation. Instead, if we spend a few more minutes, become a little more energetic, ensure that our students have a positive attitude in the classroom. and teacher material using unique strategies, students will learn the content and have a better recall of it in future years.
5. The explanation of the levels of processing approach states that meaningful information processing leads to more permanent retention than shallow sensory processing. This explains why some information is more easily recalled when a self-reference is use. This is very valid and believable to me, because I personally have a greater sense of recall if I use self-referencing when memorizing or applying concepts/theories to my own life. This class is a great example- without self referencing, I would not be able to recall examples or ideas as easily if I did not actually do them and relate them to my personal life.
6. This information is important for me right now because I am learning all the most effective ways and scenarios that students can recall information, which is going to be my job as a teacher. While we say that we can't control outside factors, we can accommodate factors inside the classroom to create positive and educational atmospheres where the potential to encode, store, and recall information is ideal.
7. I would use these techniques in a any elementary classroom. To create a positive mood with pleasant memories does not conflict with any students learning styles. Teaching students self-referencing and helping them apply information to their own lives is essential for elementary students to that they understand the information, it is important to them, and it is more easily recalled. As for implicit/explicit memory, I think using a combination of both techniques is beneficial to reinforce learning and allow students to learn the information through different styles and strategies.
8. There are other ways that information can be "ingrained into our long term memory" as I have heard other teachers say so often, but that produces a negative image of drilling and rote practices to teach students information that they could learn better though positive self-referencing strategies. Sure, not all of the information is going to be stored in our longterm memories, no matter how positive of self centered they may be. To accommodate for this, portfolios containing important information and work from the year as well as scrapbooks and academic journals can be used to assist in the long term memory recall.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
ch.4 the working memory
1. This weeks readings focused on how the working memory (aka short term memory) works, focusing specifically on employing the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, the central executive, and the episodic buffer. The chapter also clarifies previous thoughts, predictions, and studies performed regarding the amount, quantity and time, as well as the content of information that are best utilized in the working memory.
2. Based on previous readings, the clarification of proactive interference helped to explain why cross modal tasks work and don't work in regard to processing different types of information. This chapter also gave me a better understanding of why we remember certain pieces of information (based on quantity and quality) and why others are forgotten or slip into inattentional blindness.
3. I understand the role of the central executive and the functional components, but I am still not certain of how it physically works in our minds. I am assuming that all individuals are different, and that central executives are stronger for some people than others. Is the central executive the reason why people are classified as having attention disorders? Also, can the central executive be strengthened through application and practice?
4. Working memory, including its rules, strategies, and approaches, is an essential factor that teachers have to consider when planning daily lessons. We have to plan lessons in a way that students can process information appropriately without overload; we need to focus on how much students can take in accurately for recall. Also, we need to challenge students to use their phonological loop, their viseosketchpads, and their central executives, to train them for independent academic use.
5. Prior to reading, I was familiar with the 7+ or - 2 theory. However, I did not fully understand this concept because with phone numbers, you either remember two chunks or three when employing the working memory. Therefore, chunking system made more sense to my personal application of working memory. However, as I kept reading, the explanation of why certain information is retained more often (using proactive interference and semantic similarity) affects our working memory. Applying the information to my own experiences helped to me focus on specific examples of each scenario and how our working memory is ever changing.
6. This information helps us to best understand our capabilities of processing and recalling information to maximize our working memory. Knowing what kind of information and its quantity can be recalled in certain situations enables us to design and carry out academic and daily tasks accordingly.
7. I plan on using this information as much as possible! From remembering telephone numbers, to asking students to picture things using their visuosketchpads, to explaining why a student has difficulty reading long words based on their phonological loop. Once we are able to understand why a certain situation is or is not working, we can help students to correct and maintain the most effective strategies for using their working memory.
8. There are definitely other ways to using the working memory more accurately- the simplest is to manually record the information we are trying to remember. However, although this process is more time consuming and more expensive, it has a higher success rate. There are a lot of things you can do make your working memory better- ie, eating breakfast, taking prescribed attention medicine, exercising, decreasing anxiety, etc. The one thing that could not be replaced is the ability to read using the working memory- if you don't have a proper working phonological loop, I think reading would be impossible.
2. Based on previous readings, the clarification of proactive interference helped to explain why cross modal tasks work and don't work in regard to processing different types of information. This chapter also gave me a better understanding of why we remember certain pieces of information (based on quantity and quality) and why others are forgotten or slip into inattentional blindness.
3. I understand the role of the central executive and the functional components, but I am still not certain of how it physically works in our minds. I am assuming that all individuals are different, and that central executives are stronger for some people than others. Is the central executive the reason why people are classified as having attention disorders? Also, can the central executive be strengthened through application and practice?
4. Working memory, including its rules, strategies, and approaches, is an essential factor that teachers have to consider when planning daily lessons. We have to plan lessons in a way that students can process information appropriately without overload; we need to focus on how much students can take in accurately for recall. Also, we need to challenge students to use their phonological loop, their viseosketchpads, and their central executives, to train them for independent academic use.
5. Prior to reading, I was familiar with the 7+ or - 2 theory. However, I did not fully understand this concept because with phone numbers, you either remember two chunks or three when employing the working memory. Therefore, chunking system made more sense to my personal application of working memory. However, as I kept reading, the explanation of why certain information is retained more often (using proactive interference and semantic similarity) affects our working memory. Applying the information to my own experiences helped to me focus on specific examples of each scenario and how our working memory is ever changing.
6. This information helps us to best understand our capabilities of processing and recalling information to maximize our working memory. Knowing what kind of information and its quantity can be recalled in certain situations enables us to design and carry out academic and daily tasks accordingly.
7. I plan on using this information as much as possible! From remembering telephone numbers, to asking students to picture things using their visuosketchpads, to explaining why a student has difficulty reading long words based on their phonological loop. Once we are able to understand why a certain situation is or is not working, we can help students to correct and maintain the most effective strategies for using their working memory.
8. There are definitely other ways to using the working memory more accurately- the simplest is to manually record the information we are trying to remember. However, although this process is more time consuming and more expensive, it has a higher success rate. There are a lot of things you can do make your working memory better- ie, eating breakfast, taking prescribed attention medicine, exercising, decreasing anxiety, etc. The one thing that could not be replaced is the ability to read using the working memory- if you don't have a proper working phonological loop, I think reading would be impossible.
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