4. Cognitive Psychology (Learning Strategies 2)

What is the concept in Bjork & Bjork’s New Theory of Disuse that shows amount of learning (“information is available”)?

Storage Strength

What is the concept in Bjork & Bjork’s New Theory of Disuse that shows level of performance (“information is accessible”)?

Retrieval Strength

Involves spacing study sessions before a test (also called spacing)

Distributed-Practice Effect

In the long-term, spacing study sessions promote this.

Better performance

Will help you in an immediate (short-term) test (also called cramming)

Massed Practice

Massed Practice improves ________ _________, not Storage Strength.

Retrieval Strength

Some learning strategies can lead to ________, making you think you know the information when you don’t.

Illusions

Theoretical explanation for closer study sessions requiring less processing; re-reading might feel familiar without detailed learning (When there’s forgetting, later sessions require more effort, leading to better learning)?

Deficient Processing/Forgetting

Theoretical Explanation for later study sessions serving as reminders of earlier ones, leading to self-testing or retrieval of previous episodes, which promotes learning

Reminding

The transition of information from short-term to long-term memory (this process takes time to store memories)

Consolidation

Larger gaps of time lead to what?

Larger benefits of allowing information learned earlier to be consolidated

The variation in how information is encoded, which creates more routes to retrieve information

Encoding Variability

What is known as the testing effect or self-testing, has a robust effect even after a delay in time, and improves performance and helps measure storage strength by accessing your knowledge over time?

Retrieval-Practice Effect

How can you apply Retrieval Practice + Distributed Practice?

Through Successive Relearning

Who did an example study of Distributed-Practice Effect in which students learned Spanish translations and took a memory test, returned for 5 more sessions, and took a final test a specific amount of days after the last session?

Conditions:

1. 0 days between sessions

2. 1 day between sessions

3. 30 days between sessions

Bahrick (1979)

In Bahrick’s Distributed-Practice Effect study, which group learned the least?

30-day group

True or false? The 30-day group get better/learn more in the final test.

True

How do you use successive relearning?

Retrieve until you recall answers correctly once or twice, check your answer, and then relearn 3-4 days later

True or false? Multiple mechanisms can contribute to Retrieval-Practice Effect.

True

What is an example of an Elaborative Retrieval Process in the Retrieval-Practice Effect?

Studying for trivia (“An ostrich’s eyeball is larger than it’s brain”)

• Each time you practice a question, we gain another cue to remember the answer.

What are procedures in which you try to retrieve your active-related information in long-term memory or LTM (The related information may then be encoded along with the retrieved target, which forms an elaborated trace (so increased number of cues to retrieve it later on)?

Elaborative Retrieval Procedures

Theoretical explanations for the Retrieval-Practice Effect

• Study and Test Match (transfer appropriate processing)

• The need to process recalling information to improve performance

Which Elaborative Retrieval Procedure involves testing allowing people to organize information and better process idiosyncratic aspects of items?

Enhance Mental Organization

Which Elaborative Retrieval Procedure involves practicing retrieving information, which matches the processes needed on the final test?

Study and Test Match

How will you know that you are increasing your storage strength?

By accessing your knowledge across time

Who created the study in which 35 Swahili-English word pairs were studied (EX: Mashua-boat) and retrieval practice was done until each pair was recalled correctly one time?

Vaughn, Rawson, Dunlosky (2015)

What are some strategies to improve learning and memory?

• Avoid dividing your attention.

• Process at a deeper level (using the levels of processing framework).

• Ensure distinctiveness so memory traces are unique.

• Use self-reference by applying concepts to your own life.

• Match processes at encoding and retrieval.

• Use forgetting to your advantage.

What is being discussed here?

• Learning tasks can feel slow and ineffective at times

• Just because it feels hard to learn, it doesn’t mean it isn’t working

• Forgetting something can be the best opportunity to learn again

• However, not all difficulties are desirable

Desirable difficulties

Type of mnemonic in which you make words or sentences out of the first letters of what you need to remember (EX: “PEMDAS” for order of operations) (inconsistent effects if used in a lab)

First-Letter Technique

Type of mnemonic that makes it easier to recall lists by grouping them into meaningful and familiar lists, rather than the arbitrary ones (EX: “AMAPHDGPS”) (involves deep processing and organization)

Chunking

Type of mnemonic that involves imagining a familiar path (like one you walk everyday) and placing mental images or representations of items along that path - mentally “walking” the route helps you remember the items and their order?

Method of Loci

Type of mnemonic that involves making stories to connect unrelated items, linking the things you need to remember into a coherent story - works best if the narrative comes easily to you and is good for both learning and recall (EX: Phases of Mitosis)?

Narrative Technique