Educational Psychology:
Theory and Practice
Chapter 6
Information Processing and
Cognitive Theories of Learning
The Memory System
Sensory Register
Short Term
(Working)
Long Term
?
Information Processing:
Sensory Register
Perception
 Very Brief
 Large Capacity
 Remembering: Attention
 Forgetting: Decay
 Sperling Chart

Pause Here for
Sensory Register
Demonstration
Information Processing:
Sensory Register Demonstration
Review
 Large
Capacity
 Very Brief
 Decays Quickly
Sensory
Input
Sensory
Memory
Attention
Information Processing:
Short-Term or Working Memory
Smaller Capacity (5-9 Items)
 Contains What You Are Thinking Now
 Remembering: Rehearsal
 Forgetting: Displacement (Demonstrate)
 Remembering II: Making Better Use of
Short-Term Memory

Pause Here for
Short-Term Memory
Demonstration
Information Processing:
Short-Term or Working Memory
Demonstration Review
Capacity (5-9 Items)
 Information That Has Meaning is Easier to
Remember
 Unfamiliar Information is Easily Displaced
 We Can Make Better Use of Short-Term
Memory by Utilizing Pre-Existing Schemes

Rehearsal
Sensory
Input
Sensory
Memory
Attention
ShortTerm
Memory
Information Processing:
Long-Term Memory
Capacity May Be Unlimited
 Remembering: Schemes (Connections)
 Forgetting: Retrieval Failure

Rehearsal
Sensory
Input
Sensory
Memory
Attention
ShortTerm
Memory
Retrieval
Storage
LongTerm
Memory
Information Processing:
Long-Term Memory
Episodic Memory
 Semantic Memory
 Procedural Memory

Information Processing: Factors
That Impair Long-Term
Retroactive Inhibition (Interference)
 Proactive Inhibition (Interference)

Information Processing: Factors
That Impact Long-Term Memory
Dual Coding
 Retroactive Facilitation
 Proactive Facilitation
 Serial Position Effects

 Primacy
Effect
 Recency Effect
Connections: Chunking or Categories
 Levels of Processing Theory

Verbal Learning
Paired Associate
 Free Recall
 Serial Learning

Strategies for Remembering:
Mnemonic Devices

Paired Associate Learning
 Imagery
(See Next Slide)
Strategies for Remembering:
Mnemonic Devices

Paired Associate Learning
 Imagery

Free Recall Learning
 Organization

Serial Learning
 Loci
 Pegword
Pegwords
One = Bun
 Two = Shoe
 Three = Tree
 Four = Door
 Five = Hive

Six = Sticks
 Seven = Heaven
 Eight = Gate
 Nine = Vine (Line)
 Ten = Hen

Other Memory Strategies:
Rhyming
 Initial Letter

What is Meaningful Learning?
Rote Learning
(Memorization of
Facts) is Sometimes
Necessary.
However, Teachers
and Students Can
Work to Make
Learning More
Meaningful.
4x7=28
4x8=32
4x9=?
Meaningful Information
Inert Vs. Meaningful Knowledge
 Schema Theory
