Learning Theories and Memory Models Lecture

Flashcards covering the Behavioral, Cognitive, and Constructivist learning theories, including key experiments, memory models, and metaphors discussed in the transcript.

How does the behavioral approach define learning?

A process of change in behavior resulting from the influence of the environment.

What is the 'Black Box' in the context of the behavioral approach?

Internal processes such as thoughts, feelings, or understanding that are seen as unnecessary to investigate because the focus is only on observable behavior.

Which metaphor is used to describe the behavioral process of learning?

A telephone switchboard, where an automatic connection is created between a stimulus and a response.

What is the difference between Pavlov's Classical Conditioning and Skinner's Operant Conditioning?

Classical Conditioning involves an automatic response to a link between stimuli, while Operant Conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behavior (reinforcements and punishments).

What was the finding of the 'Middle Finger' (the finger) experiment regarding collective punishment?

Behavior decreased significantly while the punishment was applied, but returned to original levels immediately after the punishment was removed, showing it is effective only for the short term.

According to the drawing experiment, what happens to children who expect a reward for their drawings?

They demonstrate less motivation to draw in their free time later on, suggesting external rewards can damage intrinsic motivation.

What did the line-drawing research reveal about the types of feedback?

Behavioral feedback ('right' or 'wrong') improved performance only slightly, whereas detailed cognitive feedback allowed learners to understand errors and improve significantly.

What is the core focus of the Cognitive Approach?

Internal thought processes and how a learner perceives, processes, organizes, stores, and retrieves information.

What are the three stages of the Information Processing Model?

The Sensory Register (sensory memory), Working Memory, and Long-Term Memory.

Define 'Schemas' (Schemata) according to the cognitive approach.

Knowledge structures organized in long-term memory that help the learner integrate new information or interpret reality.

What is the difference between Bottom-Up and Top-Down processing?

Bottom-Up begins with environmental stimuli moving toward long-term memory, while Top-Down uses existing knowledge and expectations to interpret new information.

What is 'Chunking' and how does it assist memory?

Organizing individual items into meaningful units to reduce the cognitive load on the limited capacity of working memory.

Why is attention referred to as the 'bottleneck' of the information processing system?

It determines which information from the sensory register moves into working memory and which is lost; without it, significant processing cannot occur.

What are the Primacy and Recency effects?

The tendency to remember the first items in a list better because they moved to long-term memory, and the last items because they are still in working memory.

What is the main premise of the Constructivist Approach?

Learning is an active process where the learner builds their own knowledge through experience, investigation, and interaction rather than receiving it passively.

What were the three phenomena identified in Bartlett's 'War of the Ghosts' study?

Leveling (omitting details), Sharpening (emphasizing specific details), and Rationalization (changing information to fit existing schemas).

How did Jean Piaget define 'Assimilation' and 'Accommodation'?

Assimilation is interpreting new information through existing schemas; Accommodation is changing or expanding schemas when they cannot explain reality.

What is Lev Vygotsky's 'Zone of Proximal Development' (ZPD)?

The gap between what a student can perform alone and what they can achieve with the help of a more knowledgeable teacher, parent, or peer.

What is 'Inert Knowledge'?

Knowledge that exists in the memory but is not applied in new or real-world situations because it was learned in isolation from context.

What are the three metaphors used by the lecturer for the three main approaches?

Behavioral: Telephone Switchboard; Cognitive: Computer; Constructivist: Knowledge Construction (building).

In the Bransford and Johnson study, what helped participants understand and remember the ambiguous text?

Providing an image before reading that supplied a meaningful context.

What did Nunes' research on Brazilian street sellers demonstrate?

Knowledge is acquired and retrieved better when learned within a meaningful, authentic context, as children solved complex math in the street but failed similar school exercises.

What was the collective punishment used in the 'Middle Finger' study?

Every time a student showed the finger, the whole class lost $10\,minutes$ of recess (break time).