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Friday, March 8, 2019

Describe the cognitive processes required when preparing for examinations

IntroductionThe aim of the present paper was to mental testine and discuss the cognitive mathematical operationes gnarled in the preparation for trial runs. The paper covers the scene of cognitive psychology, discussing the separate faculties of cognitive process. It then goes on to discuss the proper(postnominal) faculties of wariness and entrepot, as these were dickens fundamental mechanisms included in the publications when taking into account the learn and memorisation of randomness. Discussion round the cognitive processes involved in economic aid and computer storage is incorporated in to the paper, and suggestions on how students can use cognitive techniques to enhance the dischargeance of these cognitive processes whilst preparing for exams ar subsumed. The paper concludes with the suggestion that the on the job(p)s reminiscence model as proposed by Baddeley & contraceptive (1974) is the main cognitive process involved in exam preparation.The end point cognition is derived from the Latin word cognoscere which when translated in to the English language, denotes the heart and soul to know. Hence, cognitive psychology is concerned with the scientific study of clement cognition. Processes such as perception, learning, judgement, decision making and memory are somewhat of the mechanisms that constitute as cognitive ability. The fundamental aim of researchers in the scene of action of cognitive psychology is to establish how exclusive(a)s acquire and apply intimacy and schooling to and from their environments (Lu & Dosher, 2007). Knowledge by perception is attained by way of the louver senses where different aspects of the culture such as form and motion work various different features of the stimuli (Livingstone & Hubel, 1988 Ungerleider & Mishkin, 1982 Julesz, 1971). The purpose of learning is to improve the response of the individual to their environment (Kandel, 1976 Estes, 1969). Thus, throughout the psychological liter ature on cognitive processing, ferocity has been establish on the effect of prior experience and procedural knowledge on an individuals performance (Roediger, 1990). The attention function of the cognitive process manages study so that the mind operates efficiently without becoming overloaded. This is do through selective processing, whereby certain pieces of learning are elected for processing. Additionally, the attention faculty may also manage the intake of simultaneous pieces of reading by dividing and distributing the resources applied to them (Broadbent, 1957 Posner, 1980 Treisman, 1969). The judgement and decision making faculty of cognitive processing is required for the individual to strongly perform a wilful behaviour. The choice that the individual makes may be driven by unspoken or explicit judgement and selection, implicating that the individual may have a conscious or unconscious cause for their decision (von Neumann & Morgenstern 1944 Luce, 1959). Yet, the i ntimately developed aspect of cognitive psychology and the study of cognitive processes is the faculty of memory. Memory studies place considerable emphasis on investigating the methods in which memories are acquired, stored and retrieved. Research take into accounts indication that the capacity of memory is divided to perform separate duties such as retaining cultivation about the environment, procedures, skills and running the work memory mechanism (Cowan, 1995 Dosher, 1999). The essay at hand endeavours to discuss which cognitive processes are employed during preparation for an exam, with specific references to the attention and memory functions of the brain, as these are the dickens functions that go hand in hand when retaining and removeing information (Cherry, 2014). The aptitude to process information selectively through attention, and retain information in a way in which is accessible through the working memory are two imperative aspects of cognitive capacity. While p roof indicates that attention plays little role in the maintenance of information encoded in the memory (Fougnie, 2008), it has been suggested that there are strong links between the working memory and attention faculties of the cognitive mind during the encoding and manipulation process of knowledge acquisition (Cherry 2014 Fougnie, 2008). Theoretical models of the working memory commonly nominate a role for attention. However, between these different models, the exact role for attention has not been agreed on and remains vaguely unclear, thus debates about which processing stage that attentional selection occurs (Fougnie, 2008). The most widely recognised model of memory is the Working Memory Model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch in 1974. In this model, attention is the mediator between sensory memory and the central executive, where sub functions such as the phonological store and the visuospatial study pad, two short term memory stores, hold short term auditory and visual infor mation respectively. These are known as the knuckle down systems and provide consequence as to how humans are able to multitask. consort to the working memory model, the information from these slave systems are then transferred patronise to the central executive whereby they are encoded in the long-term memory (Fougnie, 2008). These findings provide an outline to which cognitive processes occur during exam preparation, where students attempt to retain information that they will later on retrieve. Yet, further research suggests that learning and retaining information for exams may be a more complex procedure than those outlined by memory models (Hill, 2009). Ebbinghaus (1885) investigated the method in which the retention and forgetting of information occur. The fundamental law of the forgetting curve provided insight into how memories dissipate over a period of eon (Groome, Brace, Dewart, Edgar, Edgar, Esgate, Kemp, Pike & Stafford, 2006). Similarly, Bartletts Story Recall exp eriment (1932) bring insight to the notion that information is required to hold semantic quantify in drift to be remembered (Groome, et al., 2006). Thus, according to Hill (2009), the most effective ways for students to memorise information for their exams is through repetition, elaboration and organic law. To further fill out on the suggestions of Ebbinghaus (1885), Bartlett (1932) and Hill (2009), researchers proposed several studies in sustenance. Ebbinghaus (1885) further stated that in order to avoid forgetting and enhance memory, repetition was significantly valuable. fashioning use of the minds voice, the phonological loop, the cycle of learning and accurately recalling strengthens the memory, thus making exam preparation easier as less(prenominal) time will be required to re-learn the material, hence why rewrite for exams more than once improves recall (Hill, 2009). Moreover, in favour of Bartlett (1932), it has been embed that information possessing semantic value is recalled more efficiently (Craik & Tulving, 1975 Ley, 1978). It may be hypothesised that the explanation of is deduced to the attention function of the working memory selecting meaningful information in order to enhance the individuals performance based on prior learning and experience. Based on these findings, mnemonics may be suggested as an effective revision tool, since associating information with vivid visual imaginativeness and words has proven enhanced recall (Bower, 1972). Furthermore, presenting information in a incorporated manner in which meaning is conveyed has been found to facilitate recall (Hill, 2009). By grouping or ordering materials in an developd manner, the individual will take advantage of the minds existing method of representing information semantically, thus making the information easier to encode and retrieve through memory. For example, Ley et al (1978) found that presenting medical information to patients in an organised and structured way improved their recall up to 25%. Thus, it is suggested that students adequately organise their learning materials in a semantic manner in order to prepare for their exams in the most resourceful way. Although the literature has provided rich evidence to support the notion that the memory and attention faculties play a major(ip) role in exam preparation, there are also pertinent limitations in need of addressing. The working memory model has been criticised as cosmos invalid, as when unsanded studies propose findings that do not fit with the online working memory model, the working memory model is modified in order to accommodate the new findings. This makes it difficult to falsify the model or replace it with a new one, and indicates that any research findings based on the working memory model are void (Neath & Nairne , 1995). Moreover, the findings of Ebbinghaus (1885) have been questioned, as the subject of his study was himself. Without any objective findings, researchers believe the results of the forgetting curve to be unreliable (Hill, 2009). Despite these criticisms, later research based on both the working memory model and the forgetting curve has successfully uncovered new findings on the cognitive processes involved in memory (Groome, et al., 2006).In conclusion, the findings in the literature have lent ample support to the notion that exam preparation heavily relies on the cognitive processes of attention and memory. The literature has indicated that these two faculties work conjointly in order to achieve long-term memory. Studies on the Working Memory Model have identified the specific roles of the two cognitive processes, and the literature has provided further support on how the working memory model is vital in exam revision through dilate descriptions of these functions. Studies on memory retention and forgetting have implicated that repetition, elaboration and organisation are the key skills that an individual needs to employ whist preparing for ex ams in order to maintain an optimal memory capacity for the revised information. disregarding of the limitations associated with the research done on memory, the working memory model nonetheless stands as a strong representative for the cognitive process involved in exam preparation.ReferencesBaddeley, A.D. & Hitch, G.J. (1974). Working memory, in G.H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of acquisition and Motivation Advances in Research and Theory. Vol. VIII. 47-90, New York Academic Press. Bartlett, F.C. (1932). Remembering. Cambridge Cambridge University Press.Bower, G.H. (1972). Mental tomography and associative learning. In L. Gregg (Ed.), Cognition in Learning and Memory, 51-88. Broadbent, D. E. (1957) A automatic model for human attention and immediate memory. Psychological Review, 64. 205-215.Cherry, K. (2014). Top 10 Memory Improvement Tips. Retrieved from http//psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/memory_tips.htm Accessed 12/03/14Craik, F.I.M. & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of data-based Psychology, General, 104. 268-294. Cowan, N. (1995) charge and memory an integrated framework. New York Oxford University Press.Dosher, B.A. (1999) Item interference and time delays in working memory Immediate serial recall. International Journal of Psychology Special Issue swindle term/working memory, 34. 276-284.Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Uber das Gedachtnis. Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie. Leipzig Dunker & Humbolt. Estes, W. K. (1969) reinforcer in human learning. In J. Tapp (Ed.), Reinforcement and behavior. New York Academic Press.Fougnie, D. (2008). The kindred Between Attention and Working Memory. 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