EDU 293 Midterm Ch 2 Review

Which one of the following situations reflects the typical duration of working memory? -Carol remembers most of the information she has been learning about World War II in class this week, but she remembers very little of what she learned about World War I two weeks ago. -Arnie remembers his locker combination through the entire school year. By the end of summer vacation, however, he has forgotten it -Darrell looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil, repeats the letters once, and closes the dictionary. By the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell it. -At noon, Barney makes a mental list of the five homework assignments he needs to complete that night. At 3:00 he checks himself and realizes that he still remembers all five. However, by 7:00 p.m. he cannot recall two of the five assignments

Darrell looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil, repeats the letters once, and closes the dictionary. By the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell i

Three of the following strategies should help students remember academic material over the long run. Considering guidelines presented in the textbook, which one will not help them? -Reviewing the material periodically over the course of several days or weeks -Elaborating by drawing inferences from the things they study -Engaging in meaningful learning by relating the material to a situation in which they are likely to use it -Preventing confusion by learning each piece of information at a different time

Preventing confusion by learning each piece of information at a different time

When beginning a unit on the digestive system with his fourth graders, Mr. Macum asks his students, "What happens when you chew your food? Your teeth are working hard, to be sure. But what else does your mouth do when it has food in it?" Mr. Macum is using a strategy known as: -The keyword method. -A script. -Prior knowledge activation. -Verbal mediation.

Prior knowledge activation.

To learn how to spell rhinoceros, Paula repeats the letters of the word over and over without really thinking about what she is saying or using any other encoding strategies. Considering what psychologists have learned about the effectiveness of rehearsal, we can predict that Paula's strategy will be: -Effective only if she says the letters in a very loud voice. -Highly effective. -Effective only if she says the letters slowly (e.g., at a rate of one letter per second). -Relatively ineffective.

Relatively ineffective.

As Jane reads about General Custer's last stand, she pictures him as he must have looked, with long blonde hair and a full mustache, riding tall and proud on the open plain just before he was attacked. Considering what psychologists have learned about the effectiveness of visual imagery, we can predict that Jane will: -Remember her image without any loss of detail for a year or longer. -Get confused by the vividness of her visual image. -Remember the information better than she might otherwise. -Store the information in her working memory rather than in her long-term memory.

Remember the information better than she might otherwise.

During a lecture about World War II, Mr. Cochran tells his class about some of the major leaders of the countries involved in the war. He then asks Kathy to identify the leader of Great Britain during World War II, and she correctly responds, "Winston Churchill." At the time she answers the question, Kathy is exhibiting: -Retrieval. -Elaboration. -Rehearsal. -Storage

Retrieval

Which one of the following best describes the process of conceptual change as psychologists use the term? -Developing new categories to classify objects and events -Acquiring a more sophisticated vocabulary with which to describe the events in one's life -Achieving the instructional objectives that a teacher has established for a lesson or unit -Revising one's beliefs after receiving information that contradicts those beliefs

Revising one's beliefs after receiving information that contradicts those beliefs

Which one of the following teaching practices is most likely to encourage students to elaborate as they study new material? -Say, "Yesterday we learned the safe way to hand a pair of sharp scissors to someone else. Who can show us what we learned to do?" -Ask them, "Who remembers what the chief exports of Japan are?" -Ask them how they might apply the principle that gas expands when heated. -Help them locate Berlin on a map of Europe.

Ask them how they might apply the principle that gas expands when heated.

Mr. Gainer wants to teach his students good form in shooting a basketball. Given what we know about teaching procedural knowledge, which strategy is least likely to be effective in helping students learn the procedure correctly? -Explaining how the recommended form allows for greater distance and accuracy than other approaches -Showing students each part of the motion: how to hold the ball, how to push the ball upward, how to coordinate the jump with the push, and so on -Asking students to practice their new skill only when he is able to watch them -Telling students to remember "BEEF": balance the ball, elbows in, elevate the arms, follow through

Asking students to practice their new skill only when he is able to watch them

Which one of the following best describes how neurons transmit messages to one another? -By joining their axons -By fusing the axon of one with a dendrite of the other -By sending chemical substances across a tiny gap between them -By stimulating dendrites to "poke" neighboring neurons

By sending chemical substances across a tiny gap between them

Which one of the following alternatives best describes the process of elaboration of new information? -Constructing meaning by adding something already known to new information -Remembering the order in which several pieces of new information are received -Failing to notice significant aspects of new information -Paying careful attention to the most important aspects of new information

Constructing meaning by adding something already known to new information

Generally speaking, meaningful learning is an effective way of learning and remembering new information. An exception to this rule is when students: -Learn it very quickly. -Elaborate on the information using previously acquired misconceptions. -Relate it to prior knowledge acquired before age 10. -Organize it as a hierarchy rather than as a two-dimensional matrix.

Elaborate on the information using previously acquired misconceptions.

Jenny is taking a quiz that asks for the chemical symbols of 20 elements. She remembers 19 of them but cannot remember the symbol for mercury. As she walks home from school, she suddenly remembers that the symbol for mercury is Hg. Jenny's memory problem during the quiz can best be explained in terms of: -Failure to retrieve -The effects of misconceptions -Decay -Reconstruction error

Failure to retrieve

Knowledge of brain physiology ("brain research") is useful to teachers because it: -Identifies knowledge and skills that are important in a particular culture. -Helps teachers understand the neurological bases of certain disabilities (e.g., dyslexia). -Identifies which methods of instruction are most helpful in a particular subject area (e.g., science). -Provides guidance as to how teachers can help students acquire knowledge and skills.

Helps teachers understand the neurological bases of certain disabilities (e.g., dyslexia).

As Chalonte reads her science textbook, she encounters the word ecology for the first time and uses the context to figure out what the word means. Given what we know about how the brain functions, we could reasonably assume that most of her mental "work" is being done: -In many parts of her brain. -In the occipital lobes, located at the back of her brain. -In a part of the cortex known as Wernicke's area, above the left ear. -In her right hemisphere

In many parts of her brain.

Three of the following statements accurately characterize rote learning. Which statement is not true of rote learning? -Few if any connections are made to existing knowledge. -Information is stored as one or more visual images. -Repetition is the main strategy used during storage. -Information is learned in a relatively meaningless fashion.

Information is stored as one or more visual images.

Which one of the following statements best describes the sensory register? -It holds everything that is sensed in a relatively unencoded fashion. -It holds only a small amount of information, selecting things that will probably be important to know. -It encodes information largely in terms of underlying meanings. -It holds only a small amount of information, selecting things more or less at random.

It holds everything that is sensed in a relatively unencoded fashion

Psychologists often emphasize the importance of attention in the learning process. From the perspective of the three-component model of memory, why is attention so important? -It gets information into the sensory register. -It moves information from the sensory register into working memory. -It moves information from the sensory register into long-term memory. -It moves information from working memory into long-term memory.

It moves information from the sensory register into working memory.

Psychologists often emphasize the importance of attention in the learning process. From the perspective of the three-component model of memory, why is attention so important? -It moves information from the sensory register into long-term memory. -It moves information from the sensory register into working memory. -It gets information into the sensory register. -It moves information from working memory into long-term memory

It moves information from the sensory register into working memory.

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of evolution. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the argument she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's memory system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get? -It reached the sensory register. -It never got into the memory system at all. -It reached long-term memory. -It reached working memory

It reached the sensory register.

Which one of the following illustrates confirmation bias? -When Lavina reads about the migratory behavior of Canada geese, she is very curious about why the geese travel along certain routes (flyways). She spends an entire evening searching the Internet for a scientific explanation of their behavior. -Jayne thinks that metal objects always sink. When she places an aluminum pie plate in a tub of water and sees that it floats, she says, "It only looks like aluminum; it must be plastic with silver paint on it." -Barack feels much better when his teacher gives him a high grade rather than low grade on a writing assignment. He gets depressed when he thinks his work might be anything less than perfect. -In his geography class, Carlos likes the unit on South America more than the unit on Africa because his grandfather was born and raised in Colombia.

Jayne thinks that metal objects always sink. When she places an aluminum pie plate in a tub of water and sees that it floats, she says, "It only looks like aluminum; it must be plastic with silver paint on it."

Which one of the following examples best illustrates the use of a personally constructed theory as a child learns the concept spider? -Ian learns that spiders have eight legs, whereas insects have only six. -Rudy learns that spiders, along with scorpions and ticks, are members of the arachnid class. -Julian assumes that spiders give birth to live baby spiders, just as people give birth to live infants. -Duc remembers what happened when his cousin was bitten by a black widow spider.

Julian assumes that spiders give birth to live baby spiders, just as people give birth to live infants.

In contemporary psychology, a script can best be described as: -The approach a teacher tells students to use in order to remember classroom material. -The things (e.g., "small talk") that someone typically says when initiating a conversation with someone else. -A prescribed way of talking oneself through a difficult situation. -Knowledge about the typical sequence of events in an activity.

Knowledge about the typical sequence of events in an activity.

Travis realizes that the year World War II ended—1945—is the same year his grandfather was born. Which one of the following processes is Travis most clearly demonstrating? -Use of a mnemonic -Rehearsal -Meaningful learning -Distributed practice

Meaningful learning

Which of the following statements does not have a solid foundation in brain-based research? -Mental "relaxation" is usually not needed because it wastes time that could otherwise be spent learning something new. -A good night's sleep can lead to improved memories. -Learning activities that provide intellectual stimulation can foster the growth of new neurons. -Physical exercise can enhance the functioning of the central executive.

Mental "relaxation" is usually not needed because it wastes time that could otherwise be spent learning something new.

Many psychologists believe that learning and understanding are often quite constructive in nature. Three of the following scenarios illustrate such construction. Which scenario does not necessarily involve construction in learning? -When George reads about the Vietnam War in his history book, he comes to the conclusion that the United States should never have gotten involved in Southeast Asia. -Because the word photosynthesis begins with photo, Jeremy guesses that it must have something to do with taking photographs. -Mr. McFarland asks his third graders to practice their multiplication tables every day. After a month of such practice, Misty can retrieve all the basic multiplication facts quickly and easily. -Although no one has ever told her so, Peggy thinks that the night sky is a big black blanket covering the earth and that the blanket has tiny holes through which the stars shine.

Mr. McFarland asks his third graders to practice their multiplication tables every day. After a month of such practice, Misty can retrieve all the basic multiplication facts quickly and easily.

Three of these teachers will probably promote meaningful learning in their students. Which teacher, although possibly using a beneficial instructional strategy, is unlikely to promote meaningful learning? -Ms. Rubenstein asks her students to define peninsula in their own words. -Mr. Pulos demonstrates how the area of a triangle (area = 1/2 base × height) is half of something his students already know—the area of a rectangle. -Mr. Warner encourages his third graders to practice their cursive letters at least once every day. -Ms. Elms points out that the German word krank (meaning "sick") might be related to the English word cranky.

Mr. Warner encourages his third graders to practice their cursive letters at least once every day.

Only one of the following teaching practices is consistent with what we know about working memory. Which one? -Mr. Dominowski urges his students to put information for tomorrow's test in their "short-term memories." -Ms. Borelli tells her students that they should try to focus on main ideas rather than try to remember every detail. -Ms. Constas suggests that students in her Russian class listen to Russian audiotapes while they sleep. -Mr. Adamson tells his students that, with practice, they will be able to do complicated long division problems in their heads.

Ms. Borelli tells her students that they should try to focus on main ideas rather than try to remember every detail.

Considering developmental trends in long-term memory storage processes, choose the statement that best characterizes how high school students are apt to approach school learning tasks. -Even at the high school level, most students do little or nothing to help them learn and remember school subject matter. -Elaboration and organization decrease over the high school years, in large part because such storage processes are less necessary as the brain matures to an adultlike form. -Students rely largely on visual imagery for visual information; they are more apt to use rehearsal for auditory information -Some students intentionally elaborate on and organize class material; others rely largely on rehearsal

Some students intentionally elaborate on and organize class material; others rely largely on rehearsal

Which of the following is not consistent with brain research? -Sleep is important to learning because students consolidate new memories while they are sleeping. -Physical exercise is beneficial to the health of the brain. -Physical exercise has been shown to enhance the functioning of the central executive. -Teachers should challenge students to think nonstop throughout the day so that they don't have any time for "mental relaxation"

Teachers should challenge students to think nonstop throughout the day so that they don't have any time for "mental relaxation"

The fact that it is difficult to think about too many things all at the same time, such as watching a YouTube video and studying for a test, reflects: -The concrete nature of visual imagery -The limited capacity of working memory -The constructive nature of long-term memory. -The nature of the sensory register.

The limited capacity of working memory

Eunice had trouble learning the formula for calculating the area of a circle, so she is saying it to herself over and over while the teacher passes out a geometry test. Eunice is demonstrating: -The use of verbal mediation. -Storage in the sensory register. -The use of rehearsal. -Retrieval from long-term memory.

The use of rehearsal

Considering developmental trends in long-term memory storage processes, choose the statement that best characterizes how kindergartners are apt to approach school learning tasks. -They make mental lists of things to remember, but with little follow-through in studying the lists. -They continually ask "why" questions to help them make better sense of classroom subject matter. -They make few, if any, intentional efforts to learn and remember something. -They construct vivid visual and auditory images of what they see and hear in the classroom.

They make few, if any, intentional efforts to learn and remember something.

Which one of the following statements best characterizes the duration of the sensory register? -Visual information lasts less than a second, with auditory information lasting a bit longer. -Information can last indefinitely in the sensory register if the visual or auditory image is periodically retrieved. -Information remains for about 10 seconds regardless of its nature. -Meaningless information fades quickly, but meaningful information may remain for hours

Visual information lasts less than a second, with auditory information lasting a bit longer.

Which one of the following best describes our current knowledge about the brain and learning? -We know that learning is associated with the formation of new synapses and may also involve creation of new astrocytes. -We know that the long-term memories of rapid learners are about 20% larger than the long-term memories of slow learners. -We know that large doses of certain vitamins promote brain growth and lead to more rapid and efficient learning. -We know that "left-brained" individuals are, on average, more effective learners than "right-brained" individuals.

We know that learning is associated with the formation of new synapses and may also involve creation of new astrocytes.

Wendy sees a picture of a beach and then later tries to draw the picture from memory. She draws shells on the beach even though the beach in the picture had no shells. Using psychologists' concept of schema, how could we explain Wendy's error? -Wendy's schema of a typical beach includes shells. -Wendy has a schema for shells but does not have one for beaches. -Wendy's schemas of beaches and shells are interfering with each other. -Wendy has a schema for beaches but does not have one for shells.

Wendy's schema of a typical beach includes shells.

Which one of the following statements best describes wait time and its typical effects? -When teachers wait until students are ready to pay attention, students are more likely to learn effectively. -When teachers allow students more time to learn something, students are more likely to learn effectively. -When teachers give students about five minutes of "thinking time" at the beginning of class, students are more likely to learn class information meaningfully. -When teachers allow students more time to respond to a question, students are more likely to answer the question and explain their reasoning.

When teachers allow students more time to respond to a question, students are more likely to answer the question and explain their reasoning.