Learners as Active Information Processors

1. Learners as Active Information Processors Neil H. Schwartz, Ph.D. Department of Psychology California State University, Chico

2. When we learn something new, we think; we relate; we problem solve. We do what ever it takes to comprehend; to understand-- if, of course, we are engaged in the learning process. But, where do we do this thinking? Where do we do this problem solving? We do it in a place called the Information Processing System (CIP)

3. Retrieval • But, what is this thing we call the information processing system? Short Term Store Sensory Buffer Long Term Store Encoding

4. A Brief Look At Sensory Memory • Function • Perception: detect stimuli; allocate attention. • Pattern Recognition: associate perceptual information with a recognizable pattern. • Assignment of Meaning: little to none; rendered to familiar or not. • Capacity • Icon: 1/2 second • Echo: 3 seconds

5. A Brief Look At Short Term Store • Function • Capacity

6. Reconceptualizing Short Term Store Short-Term Store ----- Working Memory Executive Episodic Buffer VSS PL

7. I want to talk about what happens when a learner is engaged in learning--in the classroom. Working Memory I want to take a closer look atworking memory and 2 theories of the long-term store. Executive Episodic Buffer VSS PL I want to show you how activelearners are as information processors.

8. A Closer Look At Working Memory Long Term Memory Executive Working Memory All learning takes place within the limited capacity of working memory. Episodic Buffer VSS PL

9. A Closer Look At Working Memory In that space , learning occurs by retrieving, from long-term memory, information a learner already knows... Long Term Memory Executive Working Memory Episodic Buffer Working Memory VSS PL

10. A Closer Look At Working Memory There, the learner mixes what she already knows with the new information she needs to learn-- all within a space that holds only 7 bits of information +/- 2. Long Term Memory Executive Working Memory Episodic Buffer Working Memory VSS PL New Information

11. A Closer Look At Working Memory But, control processes occupy that small space, too. Control Processes Working Memory Working Memory

12. A Closer Look At Control Processes Control Processes • They are the executive functions that learners use to: • Allocate and regulate their attention; • Locate & retrieve relevant knowledge in LT M to mix with new information that is coming in; • Identify what parts of information they do or do not understand; • Monitor the success of their information comprehension process Working Memory Working Memory

13. More About Working Memory Long Term Memory Learners have prior knowledge: (a) About things (declarative knowledge) (b) How to do things (procedural knowledge) (c) When to do things (conditional knowledge) Executive Working Memory Episodic Buffer Working Memory VSS PL When learners have a lot of prior knowledge, control processesbecomeautomated& take up little or no space in working memory.

14. More About Working Memory In short, the information processing system is adynamic,active system, operated volitionally and controlledby the learner. Long Term Memory Executive Working Memory Episodic Buffer Working Memory VSS PL New Information

15. But, how is information stored in long-term memory? And, what relevance does storage have on the processes of comprehension --when learners are listening to a lecture, participating in a class discussion, reading a text chapter, or participating in lab?

16. Theories of information storage explain why learners interact the way they do in the presence of new material. Schema Theory Take for example

17. Theories of Long-Term Storage Schema Theory Schema are: • Data structures for representing generic concepts • Made up of images and propositions (ideas) • Hierarchical frameworks of generalised categories of information with variable “slots” containing default values that become “instantiated” with specific instances of things.

18. Schema Theory Schema: • Summarize the redundancy in our experiences • Represent what is generally true about things • Allow us to store information efficiently • Provide contexts for interpretation • Allow us to comprehend unfamiliar information • Are generic abstractions about the world • Are idiosyncratic, experience-based, and personal

19. Consider a simple word... Grounds What schema do you access to interpret it?

20. A beautiful estate

21. Your morning coffee

22. How about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals?

23. Schema provides learners with context for interpreting new information Schema also provides learners with the information they will need to make new information comprehensible.

24. Consider a simple paragraph from a college text: “The template is apparently a non-DNA system that directs the molecules in such a way that they conform to a particular pattern. If a mutant type that is curly is dissolved and precipitated again, it will take the pattern of the ‘template’ that provides the information for restoring the structure.”

25. Or, perhaps a simpler text: “If the balloons popped, the sound wouldn’t be able to carry since everything would be too far away from the correct floor. A closed window would also prevent the sound from carrying, since most buildings tend to be well insulated. Since the whole operation depends on a steady flow of electricity, a break in the middle of the wire would also cause problems. Of course, the fellow could shout, but the human voice is not loud enough to carry that far. A string could break on the instrument. Then there could be no accompaniment to the message. It is clear that the best would be less distance.With face to face contact, the least number of things could go wrong.”

26. Perhaps, this graphic helps...

27. Graphics can be extremely helpful in summoning appropriate schema. But, another theory of long term memory explains the power of graphics in a simpler way. That theory is known as: Dual Coding Theory

28. Theories of Long-Term Storage Dual Coding Theory

29. Theories of Long-Term Storage Dual Coding Theory Images: • Are stored as a whole units. • Are accessed synchronously-- all at once • Take up little room in working memory • Guide encoding by activating relevant propositions • Guide retrieval by organizing memory search

30. Theories of Long-Term Storage Dual Coding Theory Propositions: • Are stored as networks. • Are accessed serially or sequentially • Take up huge amounts of working memory • Are difficult to represent w/o practice • Are difficult to access w/o the appropriate retrieval cues.

31. A Selected Summary of Points 1. Learners actively use what they know to learn. 2. When learners use their information frequently they are faster and more efficient processors. 3. Learners represent their knowledge in frameworks of generic categories which explains errors in thinking, stereotypes, or misinterpretations. 4. Knowledge is represented as images and propositional networks. 5. Learners use their images to guide encoding and retrieval of new information.