Cognitive Science & Learning
This field studies memory, cognition, and how humans process information.
What is cognitive science?
This type of knowledge applies to specific subjects or tasks, like solving math problems.
What is domain-specific knowledge?
This memory system temporarily holds and processes new and stored information.
What is working memory?
The first step in conscious learning, without which students cannot process information.
What is paying attention?
This mnemonic technique involves associating information with locations in a familiar place.
What is the loci method?
Older cognitive views emphasized acquiring knowledge, while newer approaches focus on this.
What is knowledge construction>
This type of knowledge can be applied across different situations, like problem-solving strategies.
What is general knowledge?
This theory by Baddeley states that working memory consists of four components, including the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad.
What is Baddeley’s model of working memory?
The two types of attention, one driven by external stimuli and the other by intentional focus.
What are stimulus-driven attention and goal-directed attention?
This rehearsal technique involves connecting new information to prior knowledge for deeper processing.
What is elaborative rehearsal?
This type of neuron is activated when observing someone else performing an action.
What are mirror neurons?
The “knowing how” type of knowledge, such as riding a bike or dividing fractions.
What is procedural knowledge?
The smallest unit of knowledge that can be judged as true or false.
What is a proposition?
The part of the brain that filters out unnecessary sensory input, helping with selective attention.
What is the reticular activating system?
A learning strategy that involves breaking study sessions into smaller segments over time instead of cramming.
What is distributed practice?
The human brain devotes more than 50% of its cortex to processing this type of sensory information.
What is visual information?
The ability to manage one’s learning by knowing when and how to use other types of knowledge.
What is self-regulatory knowledge?
The process of organizing information into meaningful units to extend memory capacity.
What is chunking?
The ability to perform multiple cognitive tasks simultaneously, which is generally ineffective for learning.
What is multitasking?
This theory suggests that information stored in both visual and verbal forms is easier to remember.
What is dual coding theory?
This part of the brain is critical for forming new memories and is also affected by learning.
What is the hippocampus?
A type of explicit memory that stores facts, theories, and concepts based on meaning.
What is semantic memory?
This memory effect explains why people tend to remember the first and last items in a list better than those in the middle.
What is the serial position effect?
The phenomenon where trying to recall difficult information strengthens memory, also known as retrieval practice.
What is the testing effect?
The instructional design principle that aims to reduce extraneous load, manage intrinsic load, and optimize germane resources for learning.
What is cognitive load theory?