Cognitive Development Information Processing Theories Y Letson 2007

  • Slides: 14
Download presentation
Cognitive Development Information Processing Theories Y Letson 2007

Cognitive Development Information Processing Theories Y Letson 2007

Information Processing Theories • Information processing theories liken the brain to a computer •

Information Processing Theories • Information processing theories liken the brain to a computer • They primarily focus on the study of memory • There are many debates around this theory but some general principles that are agreed are: Y Letson 2007

Information Processing Theories 1. 2. 3. 4. That there is a limited capacity to

Information Processing Theories 1. 2. 3. 4. That there is a limited capacity to the amount of information that can be processed at any one time A control mechanism is required to oversee the processing (an executive function). This will be in use more with a new task than a routine one There is a two-way flow of information; we construct meaning through what we take in from our senses from the world around us (also known as bottom-up) as well as information we have stored in our memory (top-down) Humans have been genetically prepared to process and organise information in specific ways e. g. language development is similar in all infants regardless of the language spoken by the adult Y Letson 2007

Information Processing Theories • Information processing theories attempt to account for changes in a

Information Processing Theories • Information processing theories attempt to account for changes in a child’s cognitive ability • They do this by looking at interactions between the developing brain and the child’s increasing knowledge of the world • For example researchers may examine changes in a child’s working memory and their world knowledge Y Letson 2007

Working Memory (short-term memory) • Working memory involves mental rehearsal to maintain the information

Working Memory (short-term memory) • Working memory involves mental rehearsal to maintain the information in the memory e. g. a phone number • Research has been carried out to look for changes or differences between children’s and adults’ working memory capacity. • How do you think they might do this? Y Letson 2007

Working Memory (short-term memory) • Early researchers measured the number of digits that children

Working Memory (short-term memory) • Early researchers measured the number of digits that children could remember. • This suggested that the memory capacity of children was smaller than that of adults • Do you agree with this conclusion? • What other explanations might there be? Y Letson 2007

Information Processing Theories • Other researchers have argued that memory capacity does not change.

Information Processing Theories • Other researchers have argued that memory capacity does not change. • What changes is the child’s ability to process information. • For example; adults can repeat numbers aloud or in their minds quicker than small children can. • Therefore this argument claims that it is NOT the memory capacity that differs but the way they process the information Y Letson 2007

How might this apply to practice? Information process Registration Storage Retrieval Y Letson 2007

How might this apply to practice? Information process Registration Storage Retrieval Y Letson 2007

Registration • We take in data or information through their senses • How might

Registration • We take in data or information through their senses • How might this influence Early Years practice? • In order register and encode information children need to be alert and focussed • We can help by using activities that they are already engaging in and look for ways of extending their learning or language there • Use activities that are multi-sensory Y Letson 2007

Helping to maintain attention • Give them objects to handle this will help them

Helping to maintain attention • Give them objects to handle this will help them to remain alert as it acts as another sensory boost. • Reduce distractions and noise • Make sure activities are appealing • Avoid overloading the child with too many tasks and instructions at once • If children do not appear to be attending change your tone of voice and slow down your pace so that they have time to register the information • Repeat activities and once they are familiar with them change one feature of the activity. Y Letson 2007

Storage • We store information in our short and long term memory • Most

Storage • We store information in our short and long term memory • Most psychologists agree that we need to encode information so that it can be stored in our memory. • You might encode visually – how something looks, acoustically – how the word sounds or semantically – the meaning of the word. • There is some evidence to suggest that acoustic coding is the most common used in short-term memory (STM) and semantic coding the most common in long-term memory (LTM) • We can’t know how people encode because most memory is done unconsciously Y Letson 2007

Storing and encoding • How might this influence Early Years practice? • Children need

Storing and encoding • How might this influence Early Years practice? • Children need to be alert and focussed • If children have attention difficulties they may find it difficult to register and store information • Some children find selective attention difficult; they struggle to focus on relevant information and ignore the irrelevant information • Help children to understand the ‘meaning’ or make learning meaningful to them so that it has better chance of going into their LTM rather than their STM Y Letson 2007

Retrieving • Children need to be able to retrieve and remember information • How

Retrieving • Children need to be able to retrieve and remember information • How might this influence Early Years practice? • We can provide children with prompts to help them retrieve information: • Allow them plenty of time to ‘scan’ their memories • Use associated questions to help them hook in to their visual memories; ‘what were you wearing at the time? ’ • Provide prompts or triggers for the child such as props • Repeat activities using the same props Y Letson 2007

Reference List • Cardwell. M. , Clarke. L. and Meldrum. C. , (2003) Psychology

Reference List • Cardwell. M. , Clarke. L. and Meldrum. C. , (2003) Psychology for AS-level 3 rd Ed. , London: Harper. Collins. Publishers Ltd • Miell, D. , Pheonix, A. , Thomas. K. , (2002) Mapping Psychology 1, Milton Keynes: The Open University Y Letson 2007