Activity 6.4

After taking a class on school interventions I became very interested in study skills interventions. As I have said in a past blog post I was lucky enough to implement such an intervention with a student last semester. It quickly became clear to me that the intervention was mainly attempting to intervene in the student’s self-regulation skills. Zimmerman (2002) states that “after graduating from high school or college young adults must learn many important skills informally” (p. 66). I contend that study skills, and in particular self-regulatory skills, are never explicitly taught in schools at all, and instead are skills expected to be self-propagated by the student themself. Zimmerman also indicates that “conceptions of self-regulatory development at the time were limited to acquiring desirable personal habits” (p. 64). Though Zimmerman appears to feel that habits alone are not enough to develop effective self-regulation in my opinion James would disagree that the development of habits is not enough. Perhaps where they would agree is in the role of outside sources in helping to propagate this skill. I also agreed with Zimmerman’s point about the importance of self-efficacy. Chemistry is a subject I have never felt self-efficacy in. Because of this I often find myself giving up very early, becoming frustrated, and demonstrating no perseverance. All in all, I believe self-regulation plays a pivotal role in learning.

Activity 6.2

The video on math instruction brought to mind what we've been learning about information processing. One thing the teacher discussed was how math books are designed to not have students problem solve which as we have been learning this week and with Piaget's theories is an essential process and even analogous to learning. I was also reminded of Vygotsky's scaffolding when the teacher was discussing the layers of the math problem. The teacher using native attention grabbing tasks brought to mind James' theories of using a student's passive attention. Finally, the fact that the teacher discussed the importance of perseverance reminded me of this week's PPT and Dr. Usher's points around the importance of perseverance if students want to become more effective problem-solvers. Notably, I found it interesting how this math teacher has been using technology to enhance students' mathematical thinking after discussing possible fallbacks of technology on cognition.

Watching the Marshmallow Challenge video I was reminded of an activity I did a few years back when I was a camp counselor working with at-risk and disabled high school-aged youths. The campers had to create a flying craft out of one soda can, duct tape, and box cutters. The winner was the pair of campers whose flying craft flew the farthest. Their high stakes reward was 2 free sodas! Watching the campers go through the problem solving process I am now able to see many parallels to the Marshmallow Challenge. Many of the campers struggled with determining who the leader in the group was (or whether there should even be a leader). Some of the pairs would get really nothing done because they were unable to accomplish collaboration (no one wanted to get the ball rolling or one person would take over and not let the other contribute). Another issue I noted was many of the campers tried to make their flying crafts look like airplanes, a behavior which falls under functional fixedness as well as learning set. In the end, the campers who were most successful (like the marshmallow challenge conqueror) were the pairs who were willing to try something different, persevered, planned, and willing to keep modifying their flying craft.

Activity 6.1

Why is problem solving analogous to learning?

Once a person has determined the solution to a problem in the future that person is able to apply that solution to a similar problem. When an individual has learned the process of problem solving that individual is more able to problem solve in the future.

Is all learning problem solving or do we learn without solving problems?

Because a problem can be almost anything from having to use the bathroom to passing an exam almost all learning can be framed within a problem solving context.

An Important Problem

A problem I recently encountered is one dealing with my health. I’ve been lucky enough to not really be allergic to anything. However, I do have one pretty serious Achilles’ heel: poison ivy. This past week I’ve been camping in Wisconsin. As with anyone who has an allergy, I have quite a bit of knowledge about my allergen. I know what poison ivy looks like and I know what my symptoms look like. That being said, sometimes it is impossible to avoid. This Saturday, I was swimming at my family lake with my family. I rowed the boat out to our dock and began swimming. I began to notice my right hand was turning red- I also noticed the tell-tale bumpy rash. I gave attention to cues in the environment, what I had been touching and the reaction occurring on my hands. As Pretz et al. (2003) indicated, when “we approach a new situation, our knowledge based on prior experiences will influence our ability to define and represent a problem correctly” (p. 26). I have had poison ivy many times in the past and know the signs and symptoms- but did I ever really stop and think what else the rash could have arisen from. Despite this, I immediately washed my hands with camp soap and then washed the rest of my body. When we got back to our cabin I took a Zyrtec and applied hydrocortisone to the offending areas. Before bed I took a Bendaryl. I performed these behaviors because of my knowledge of past analogous problems, i.e. when I’ve experienced rashes in the past. When I woke up the next morning my hands had erupted in a rash covering almost every part of my fingers. I also noticed a suspicious red spot growing near my eyes and behind my leg. Typically, I am able to fight off an allergic reaction with antihistamines and hydrocortisone. However, I knew my goal was to travel back to Kentucky on Monday and it would be more of a constraint to find a doctor under my parent’s insurance there. In the end, I solved my problem by seeking expert help at an Urgent care center near my parent’s hometown. I am now prescribed a steroid and hope to see my rash diminish in severity. As Pretz et al. (2003) point out the earliest stages of problem solving process involve “Recognizing that a problem exists, defining the scope and goals of the problem, and representing information about that problem in a way that helps establish a viable path to solution” (p. 25-26). And importantly, Pretz et al. (2003) also discusses how when one problem is solved often another new problem will erupt, in my case the possibility of my rash reoccurring with a vengeance and not being able to find a doctor to prescribe new medication. 

The horror!!

Activity 5.4

When looking for the video for Activity 5.3 I almost selected a video from PBS about how technology is affecting our memory. I did not select this video because currently I do not believe we know fully how technology is affecting our cognition. I remember in undergrad we discussed how the use of GPS devices might affect our ability to think spatially and the long term creation of maps within our minds. I was actually shocked to learn that some people in my class didn't know how to get home from our small university without their GPS device. When I moved to Lexington I bought a GPS device and relied on it heavily for the first month I lived here. After that, I would often put away my GPS and try to get places on my own. Now, after living in Lexington for 2 years I know it relatively well. I believe technology can be a helpful device if used correctly and can be harmful if overly relied upon.

It is clear there are demerits in technology and our reliance on the internet. Often I find myself considering how technology might be affecting the increasing rates of ADHD we see in children. As Carr (2010) points out many people seem to be having attention focusing issues these days as we have come to rely on our multitasking fixes from the world wide web.  And as Carr (2010) is concerned about in his chapters in The Shallows, use of the internet might even have severe implications for our ability to create long term memories. However, I must also recall my own learning process and how that has been aided with the use of  a computer and the internet. As Roediger and Butler (2011) show with their paper, retrieval practice has been shown to produce gains in long-term retention of information. The internet is teeming with practice quizzes, create-your-own quiz templates, flashcards, and make-your-own flashcard templates as well. I was also reminded of this quote from James (1983) that I had used in my previous post: "The doctor, the lawyer...differ from other men only through the fact they know how to get at the materials for decision in five minutes or half an hour" (p. 70). One such way to get at these materials is through the internet. So, although Carr (2010) points out James' early concern for our memory it must also be said that James supports the use of resources. 

Finally, I was reminded  while reading the Carr excerpts of research I heard on NPR. This research was surrounding parents' concern for young children's' interest in iPads and the potential implications for the children's brains. The author in the article did sort of Piagetian experiment (i.e. on her own child) and allowed him to have full access  to the iPad. After a while, her son grew tired of the iPad like any other toy or game he owned. Will we as humans every grow tired of being plugged in to the internet? 

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/24/175173111/your-kids-brains-on-touch-screens

Importantly, from Carr's (2010) chapters I also took away the fact that our brains are very plastic. Even if we are negatively affecting a very important process hopefully if we change, our brains can return to their former selves.

Activity 5.2

Memory as Association

I found myself nodding along in awe to James' (1983) chapter on memory. Do not mistake me, I often enjoy James' character but find myself sort of updating things he says to be more applicable. In this chapter, I was amazed at how spot on James was about memory. I think my jaw literally dropped when I read the passage about cramming. People were cramming in 1892?

"In almost any subject your passion for subject will save you" (James, 1983, p. 67). When I wrote my blog post about my metaphor for learning one thing I really wanted to include was passion. The subject areas I have learned information for best have been those that I have been passionate about such as a Gender and Orientation class which resulted in my questioning of my everyday experience and how I defined myself as an individual.

There were a couple of excerpts in this chapter that I really thought were well written and thought provoking.

"Paths frequently and recently ploughed are those that lie most open, those which may be expected most easily to lead to results" (James, 1983, p. 59). This quotation actually reminded me of something Mary Ann said in class the other night after I had asked about how I was always taught the brain employs a "use it or lose it" theory. I believe Dr. Usher was discussing the stream of consciousness at the time and Mary Ann said that instead of getting rid of paths or roads altogether the paths unused become unkempt and hard to traverse.

A final quote that caught my eye in this chapter was: "The doctor, the lawyer...differ from other men only through the fact they know how to get at the materials for decision in five minutes or half an hour" (James, 1983, p. 70). Often I worry what I have gleaned out of my graduate education. Do I remember every topic I learned in every course? No, but as James elucidates I have learned the processes of finding this information.

One thing in this chapter I did question was, according to James, to memorize a sentence rather than hammering in the information you should analyze it and think about it. I had to think back to when I was in high school and participated in many plays. I would NEVER have been able to memorize my lines merely by analyzing and thinking about them. I think perhaps it would have aided me and perhaps I would've remembered them longer but I do not believe I would have been to memorize all those lines through that process.

Activity 5.3

Watch Saving Hubble Update, Gangster Birds, How Memory Works on PBS. See more from NOVA scienceNOW.

I chose the NOVA video "How Memory Works." I remember when H.M. died and at the time I was taking Physiological Psychology. My professor was a quirky soon-to-be-retired type and made us all watch the streaming of H.M.'s brain being sliced into tons of thin slices. I recall, at the time, freaking out that we were wasting a class as it was a rather difficult class. I think, after watching this video, I understand why he was so fascinated with H.M.'s brain.

This video is about long term memory. It starts with the anecdotal story of H.M. who struggled with severe epilepsy and because of this had his hippocampus removed. From H.M. we learned the importance of the hippocampus in long term memory because once H.M.'s hippocampus was removed he no longer could store memories from after the surgery. However, it was also discovered that although H.M. might have no recollection of learning he could still apparently learn. Finally, the video discussed  current rat research which shows that if the animal is given a certain drug immediately after it makes a memory the rat will then forget that memory.

I made several connections and had one question in response to this video. The question I had deals with erasing the poor ratty's memory. Does the drug administered only affect the recently formed memory or can it delete other memories? Has research been conducted looking at the all the effects of this drug and its effects on memories? This erasure of memory also reminds me of the Radiolab I recently posted which also discusses the research on this topic. One thing that really drew me was when one of the doctors said that you have a "slightly different head than you had today" everyday. It reminded me of Vygotsky who said something very similar with human development. Finally, H.M. and the research conducted with H.M. brought to mind past research I have learned about dealing with split-brains. Sometimes when individuals have particularly bad seizures they will undergo surgery that separates part of the midline of their brain. This helps prevent the seizures from spreading all over the brain. Once this surgery is conducted all kinds of interesting research can then be conducted on the individual. For example, I recall learning about individuals who had this "split-brain" and would experience one of their hands doing something in which they never recalled having "asked" their brain to do.

Here is a Wikipedia link if you're interested about split-brains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-brain

Activity 5.1

Though I believe learning and memory are related I do not believe they depend on each other.

In thinking about all things I have learned, at least in my college years, I often think about a course I took in Entomology. Entomology is the subject my husband is studying and as I was a biology minor in undergraduate college I decided to take a course in it. As part of the course we had to memorize all the major insect orders and be able to spot insects that were part of each order. After two years of graduate school and filling my brain up with school psychology when conversing with my husband or his friends from the Entomology department I started to notice I couldn't verbally call up insect orders with the confidence I had once been able to. In particular I struggled with insects I rarely see on a daily occurrence; I could verbally recall what order a firefly belonged to but I could no longer remember what order a thrip belonged to. The orders of insects that I regularly saw and therefore thought of were still easily recalled but the ones I had not practiced seemed to have vanished. However, when I discussed the orders with my husband it was like for each order a little light was turning on. "Ah yes! Praying mantises are members of the order Mantodea!" Instead of having to recode the information into my brain I just had to dust it off a little. I tried finding a quote from James (1983) that I felt was related to this but was unable to locate it. Since I was unable to find the excerpt, I will instead summarize the gist. In the quote James states that a student who says they know an answer but can't exactly say what it is is different than a student who does not know at all. I believe this speaks to the difference of being able to verbally recall something versus knowing knowledge is floating around somewhere in your brain and you just can't say what it is.

I believe we remember vividly what we want to forget because of something called rumination. Unlike the knowledge I had gained from the Entomology course, things we wish to forget we repeatedly call up in our memory and think about, i.e. we ruminate about them. For example, say I had just taken an exam and thought I had bombed it. Though I want to move on and think about other things I keep bringing up questions in my head, thinking about if I answered them correctly, questioning whether I filled out all the pages, or looking up answers in my book. Instead of moving on and thinking about something else I keep bringing up the memories of the test, in short reliving it over and over again.