COGNITION UNIT 4

1. Parallel Processing

• Definition: Brain processes information at various levels simultaneously; some conscious, others unconscious.

2. Function of Parallel Processing

• Perception Recall: When observing an object, individuals perceive multiple aspects that converge to form a complete identification of the object.

3. Attention Types

• Selective Attention: Focuses on one stimulus while ignoring others.

• Divided Attention: Engages with multiple stimuli but allocates attention to both.

4. Multitasking and Its Effects

• Performance Impact:

  • Multitasking can decrease productivity by 40-50%.

  • Increases error rates; heavy multitaskers make three times more errors than those focusing on a single task.

  • Effects akin to smoking cannabis, causing temporary drops in IQ up to 15 points.

5. Maximizing Learning and Grades

• Mobile Device Distractions:

  • Dividing attention between devices and lectures does not reduce in-class comprehension but greatly impairs long-term retention, impacting exam performance. (Glass & Kang, 2017)

  • Media multitaskers demonstrate worse performance in sustained attention tasks. (Wilmer et al, 2017)

  • Engagement with social media or unrelated internet searches during study negatively affects GPA. (Junco & Cotten, 2012)

6. Deep vs. Shallow Processing

• Deep Processing: Involves understanding meaning, linking to past experiences; requires attention.

• Shallow Processing: Focuses on surface features like appearance or sound; often results in poor retention.

  • Examples include:

    • Memorizing for appearance.

    • Reading without comprehension.

    • Being physically present but mentally absent.

7. Effortful Processing Strategies

• Semantic Processing: Increases retention by focusing on word meanings during information encoding.

  • Types of Processing:

    • Deep: Semantic meaning of words.

    • Shallow: Sound and structure (appearance of letters).

8. Importance of Meaningfulness

• Ebbinghaus's Findings: Learning meaningful material requires only 1/10th the effort compared to learning nonsensical syllables.

9. Self-Reference Effect

• Definition: Tendency to remember personal information better than information about others.

• Cultural Variation: More pronounced in Western cultures, demonstrating stronger recall for self-relevant adjectives.

10. Memory

• Definition: Recall of experiences, imagination, or learned information.

• Information Processing Model Steps:

  1. Encoding: Inputting information.

  2. Storage: Organizing data in memory.

  3. Retrieval: Accessing stored data.

11. Information Processing Model

• Analogy: Human memory compared to computer operations:

  • Steps:

    1. Encoding (Blue)

    2. Storage (Green)

    3. Retrieval (Red)

12. Characteristics of Information Processing Model

• Effective for describing effortful processing but not for automatic processing.

• Examples of automatic processing include riding a bike, classically conditioned responses, and spontaneous events like the sequence of time, space, and frequency.

• Parallel Processing: Brain can operate on different tasks simultaneously.