UNIT 7 - Â Socialization, Conformity & Deviance
Memory
Language
Thinking
Problem Solving & Creativity
Memory
What is Memory?
Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain, and later retrieve information. There are three major processes involved in memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once information has been
successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually
need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness.
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Memory PowerPoint
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Thinking and Language/Problem Solving
Concepts, the building blocks of thinking, simplify the world by organizing it into a hierarchy of categories. Concepts are often formed around prototypes, or the best examples of a category.
When faced with a novel situation for which no well-learned response will do, we may use problem-solving strategies such as trial
and error, algorithms, heuristics, and insight. Obstacles to successful problem solving include the confirmation bias, fixation, and a form of fixation called mental set. Heuristics provide efficient, but occasionally misleading, guides for making quick decisions. Overconfidence, belief perseverance, and framing further reveal our capacity for error.
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Thinking/Language Vocabulary
Daily Agenda
AP Psychology
Memory, Thinking & Language
8 - 10 % of the AP Exam
Week 1: January 21-25
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Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:​​
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Unit Goals: Check the box when you have mastered the goal. This will help you when you study for the unit assessment, AP exam, and complete the left hand side letter to yourself.
Compare and contrast various cognitive processes:
effortful versus automatic processing;
deep versus shallow processing;
focused versus divided attention.
Describe and differentiate psychological and physiological systems of memory (short-term memory, procedural memory).
Outline the principles that underlie effective encoding, storage, and construction of memories.
Describe strategies for memory improvement.
Synthesize how biological, cognitive, and cultural factors converge to facilitate acquisition, development, and use of language.
Identify problem-solving strategies as well as factors that influence their effectiveness.
List the characteristics of creative thought and creative thinkers.
Identify key contributors in cognitive psychology (Noam Chomsky, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Wolfgang Köhler, Elizabeth Loftus, George A . Miller .
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Unit Overview:
In this unit students learn how humans convert sensory input into kinds of information . They examine how humans learn, remember, and retrieve information . This part of the course also addresses problem solving, language, and creativity .
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People:
Noam Chomsky
Benjamin Whorf
Studies:
Tolman, E.C.: Cognitive maps in rats and men
Loftus, E.F: Leading questions and eyewitness reports.
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