Cognitive Psychology/Information Processing Case Study Analysis

1. After participating in this activity, what do you think the students will remember? How might those memories differ from those students would have if they only read about the Civil War in their textbook?

The students will not only be placing informational knowledge in their memories, but they will be imprinting experiences into their memories. They will remember being at camp and engaging in the battle preparation and battle. The students in this experience will use their sensory memory greatly. The environment and use of many senses, such as visual, kinesthetic, auditory, will help the students memorize the details of the experience and Civil war much better than compared to one just reading about the war. Reading is not using sensory memory nor as many senses.

2. How does Mr. West’s use of a Civil War re-enactment engage students’ emotions? What is the relationship between emotions and learning?

This engages students emotions as it causes them to become loyal to a certain side. This causes the students to become more involved as the situation becomes more personal to them. The emotions cause one's cognitive changes in thoughts to be stronger and more profound. The emotions cause one to emphasize the mental processes of processing new information with more passion and with more relevance to one's own life, since the emotions cause the situation to be personal and of more importance.

3. Based on the principles of dual-coding theory, what activities would be effective for Mr. West to use as a follow-up to the re-enactment?

In order to follow-up using the dual coding theory, Mr. West could show a educational video of the Civil war. This way the students can visual and auditory understand the Civil war, and compare and contrast the actual experience with their own experience.


4. Who do you think provides better instruction for his students? Support your answer from an information processing perspective.

Mr. Richards instruction would best suit my learning style. Mr. Dunkin's style does not accommodate diverse learners. Even though it has the pros of being well planned and organized, one is obligated to try to learn one certain way and the the style would become very monotonous and boring. Mr. Richards involves memory on a different level as he provides instruction that engages many different types of learning styles. His method uses dual processing and sensory memory. His method is not only generating information to be learned, but experiences.


5. How would you expect the students’ learning outcomes to differ depending on which teacher they had?

Mr. Dunkin's style would be very effective for organized learners that can focus when reading. I would expect some students to do excellent through this method, and others that do not comprehend well from reading to suffer. Mr. Richard's method does accommodate for diverse learners, however those learners that learn from organized reading and tests will suffer. Both methods are very effective for some learners, and very ineffective for others. I would expect the learning outcome to be better for Mr. Richard's because his method accommodates a greater percentage of learners than compared to Mr. Dunkin's method.

Cognitive Development (Ch. 3) Analysis Questions:


1. From the perspective of Piaget's theory, in which stage of cognitive development is Laura? Justify your response.



The formal operational stage. By choose, she uses her intuition and perception to understand the world and solve problems, and does not use logic nor reason.


2. How is Laura's reasoning affected by her knowledge base--that is, by what she does and doesn't know about pollution? Use terminology from Ch. 3 in your response.



Her knowledge base seems to be very closed and subjetive. She is stuck in a young stage of cognitive development. Her knowledge is based on opinon and she is very egocentric.


3. By posing a series of questions, Mr. Marculescu continually challenges Laura to reconsider her thinking about the pollution problem. What are potential benefits of this strategy? Use terminology from Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories in your response.



Mr. Marculescu uses the "encouraging you children's use of private speech" in this stage. He tries to get her to think and analyze other things instead of being so closed. Also, this method involves some scaffolding as he challanges her and tries to raise her to a higher level of thinking.


4. How does this scenario represent Piaget's and Vygotsky's conceptions of play?


Play is represented through the play of scene. The student is placed is a situation where she has to "play" by going up behind the podium and express her opinion to the class. Hence, she is in play as she is using props and being placed in a scenario.



Social and Moral Development (Ch. 4) Analysis Questions:


1. From a social development standpoint, how might we explain Laura's preoccupation with her appearance? In particular, consider this statement by Laura: "I don't want people to think I'm a geek!" Include information from Erikson's theory and social development in general in your response.



Laura is in the "Identity role confusion stage" in which she is trying to find herself through acceptance. She is experiencing some failure in this stage as she seems to be somewhat confused.


2. In suggesting that Laura join the debating class, Ms. Watkins is hoping to pique an interest in classroom subject matter by capitalizing on Laura's desire to be the center of attention. What two other strategies might the school faculty use to motivate students who seem to be more interested in social matters than in academic pursuits?



Theator and student body leaders are great ways to get non-acedemic students interested in acedemics. These options allow students to be very social and be expressive. By doing so, these students can learn that they de have great acedemic skills. For instance: the options prepare one to be a leader, manager, representative and so forth.



3. From the perspective of Kohlberg's theory, in which stage of moral development is Laura? Justify your response. How might Mr. Marcalescu help Laura to advance her moral reasoning?


She seems to be entering the postconventional since she seems to make a stand for her own beliefs and thoughts. Also she is in an individualism stage as she is egocentrisc. The teacher can help her advance by helping her understand rules of interpersonal conformity, that teach logic and fairness.



4. In what ways might a debating class contribute to students' cognitive, linguistic, social, and moral development?



It contributes to one's cognitive level as it makes one analyze and think for oneselve. It does on an linguistic and social level as it causes one to be expressive in front of many people through means of persuasive speech. Morally it causes one to realize that one must understand others and respect them, in order to persuade them. Thus, one learns how to be ethically moral with others.

Buenos Dias

My name is Jesse Blake and I am entering my senior year this semester. Currently I am perusing a Spanish Education Bachelors with a Minor in Business Management. This semester I am very busy and hope that I will be able to keep up to pace in this course. I am enrolled with 16 credit hours and I work 25 hours a week at an insurance agency and as a basketball official. Recently I had ACL surgery; so once a day I enjoy taking a mental break by going to the gym and trying to re-gain strength in my knee, and maintain myself in great shape.