CH 4

Better late than never... Sorry everyone, I forgot to do my blog posting for last week.



1. Chapter 4 of Cognition was focused on Working Memory. The chapter discussed older research on working memory (also known as Sort-Term Memory) and then goes into greater depth int eh Working-Memory Approach. It is here that the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, central executive, and episodic buffer are introduced. The phonological loop is when we store sounds in our memory for a short time. The visuospatial sketchpad stores the spatial and visual ideas. A great example is when you visualize while reading. The central executive does not store information, but helps organize and prioritize what we are doing/thinking at that time. The episodic buffer combines the last three and connects them to an experience in the past.



2. This chapter helped explain why we focus on what we are at that time (central executive) and how we store the information that we are perceiving or hearing. The last chapters explained how we perceive things and how we focus our attention on things whereas this chapter explains how we remember it for a few seconds and even prioritize what we are doing or perceiving.

3. I'm still having a little trouble with the concept of Proactive Interference. I need more examples of everyday life situations to help me see this clearer. I understand that it is when prior knowledge interferes with what you are now learning, but I would just like more examples.

4. I am much more aware of the amount of information I can expect my students to remember just giving it to them audibly. For example, giving directions; I am going to make sure that if I give several step directions that I will also write them on the board. I also want to make sure I find out what my students know about certain topics (especially Science) before I teach them a new unit. I want to make sure there isn't going to be any PI. (I think that is an example, but again I am still not sure)

5. Again, all the examples and the studies in the chapter helped me believe that the concepts were valid. I have not taken a research methods course yet, so I am not exactly sure what I should be looking for. For me, connecting it to real life and having the data available really help convince me.

6. I think the working-memory approach is really important to not just my teaching but to myself. I am able to understand why I have a difficult time remembering random numbers or something a person told me. For example, just today my trainer told me to mix something in my protein shake to make it taste better. I know he told me twice and I even repeated it in my head over and over, but not 15 mins later, I forgot!

7. I gave one example in number four, but I could also use this information in all subject areas. I would like to incorporate visuospatial sketchpad into my class by having my students visualize what we just read or learned and have them sketch what they pictured in their mind in their notebooks.

8. I think that there are ways to remember more at one time. I believe that it will take a lot of practice, but that finding ways to chunk numbers is a great way to help remember a phone number or a combination to a lock. Instead of just trying to remember each number, find patterns.