Chapter 7: Cognitive Processes and Academic Skills

Chapter 7: Cognitive Processes and Academic Skills Chapter 7 has three modules: Module 7.1 Memory Module 7.2 Problem Solving Module 7.3 Academic Skills

Memory Origins of Memory Strategies for Remembering Knowledge and Memory

Module 7.1 Memory How well do infants remember? How do strategies help children to remember? How does children’s knowledge influence what they remember? Module 7.2 Problem Solving Module 7.3 Academic Skills

Origins of Memory Overview Memory origins laid down in early life 2-3 mos: past events remembered but recall decreased over time Cue can elicit forgotten memory

Origins of Memory: Brain Development and Memory Infants remember and forget, and can be prompted to remember forgotten things Improvements in memory are related to brain growth Amygdala Hippocampus Frontal cortex

Strategies for Remembering Memory strategies: activities that improve remembering Preschoolers use simple strategies Older children and adolescents use organization, elaboration, and rehearsal Do you know the difference between these?

Strategies for Remembering Metacognition Metamemory Metacognitive knowledge

Metacognitive Knowledge Important Features Cognitive self- regulation Understanding of connections among goals, strategies, monitoring, and outcomes

Knowledge and Memory Knowledge helps to organize memory but can distort recall Scripts Autobiographical memory Infantile amnesia Preschoolers’ testimony

Effects of Knowledge on Memory Adults remember more numbers than children 10-year-olds recall object positions more accurately Do you know why?

Network of Knowledge

Fuzzy Trace Theory Memories stored verbatim or in gist form Older children represent memories in gist form instead of verbatim

Autobiographical Memory and Infantile Amnesia Autobiographical memory Infantile amnesia

Eyewitness Testimony Memory distortion may occur with Inappropriate questionings Overheard comments Conversations of adults or peers

Eyewitness Testimony: Interviewing Strategies Interview quickly after event Encourage truth; allow “I don’t know” Ask for event description in child’s own words Use open-ended questions Begin with neutral events Ask questions that consider alternative explanations

Problem Solving Developmental Trends in Solving Problems Features of Children’s and Adolescents’ Problem Solving Scientific Problem Solving

Module 7.1 Memory Module 7.2 Problem Solving Do older children and adolescents typically solve problems better than younger children? What factors contribute to children’s and adolescents’ success in solving problems? Can children and adolescents reason scientifically? Module 7.3 Academic Skills

Developmental Trends in Problem Solving Problem solving effectiveness increases with age Research shows that even young children sometimes show remarkable skill Adolescents often prone to error

Features of Child and Adolescent Problem Solving Young children sometimes fail due to inadequate encoding processesYoung children don’t plan ahead Children and adolescents use a variety of strategies to solve problems (heuristics) Successful problem solving depends on knowledge specific to problem and general processes (means-ends analysis) Collaboration often enhances problem solving

Scientific Problem Solving Children and even adolescents exhibit faulty scientific reasoning Confound variables Reach conclusions prematurely Have difficulty integrating theory and data

True or False? Even young children can be trained to think more scientifically.

Academic Skills Reading Writing Knowing and Using Numbers

Module 7.1 Memory Module 7.2 Problem Solving Module 7.3 Academic Skills What are the components of skilled reading? As children develop, how does their writing improve? When do children understand and use quantitative skills?

Reading Reading in a complex learning process Prereading skills (phonological awareness) Reading skills Sounding out and whole word recognition Comprehension Recognizing words and decoding Changes in working memory, knowledge, monitoring, and reading strategies improve comprehension

Reading Readers use: Context to recognize letters and words Direct retrieval Phonics Complementary phonics strategies

Factors Related to Improved Comprehension Development supports improved reading comprehension Improved working capacity=more effective sentence storage Increased general knowledge=enhanced understanding Experiences=better comprehension monitoring and more effective strategy use

Writing Older writers Know how to organize their writing Deal better with mechanical requirements of writing Are better able to revise Have more to tell

Factors Related to Improved Writing Greater knowledge and access to knowledge about topics Greater understanding of writing organization Greater facility with writing mechanical requirements Greater revisions skills

Knowing and Using Numbers Babies learn that quantity or amount is related to object differences.

Knowing and Using Numbers Early counting follows 3 basic principles one-to-one principle stable-order principle cardinality principle Children use many different, multiple strategies

Knowing and Using Numbers Adding and Subtracting 4 to 5 year olds encounter simple arithmetic problems Counting aloud and finger counting strategies

Knowing and Using Numbers Math skills lower in U.S. than many other countries. Do you know why?

Educational Implications: What the Japanese System Teaches Us Provide more teacher time to prepare and correct work Improve teacher training through mentoring Provide instruction nested in sound principles of learning Set higher standards for children