9.3 Information Processing and Memory Strategies

Kids in middle childhood get better at remembering stuff. Their brains can hold more info at once, and they start using cool tricks to remember things. It's like their mental toolbox is getting bigger and more organized.

This upgrade in memory skills helps kids tackle tougher school work and everyday tasks. They can focus better, think faster, and even start to understand how their own brains work. It's a big leap in how they process and store information.

Memory Types

Working Memory and Long-Term Memory

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• Working memory temporarily stores and manipulates information for cognitive tasks (mental math, following directions)
• Capacity of working memory increases during middle childhood, allowing children to hold more information in mind at once
• Long-term memory stores vast amounts of information for extended periods (facts, personal experiences, procedural skills)
• Capacity and efficiency of long-term memory retrieval improves during middle childhood due to maturation of the frontal lobes and hippocampus
• Children become better at transferring information from working memory to long-term memory through rehearsal and elaboration strategies

Cognitive Processes

Processing Speed, Selective Attention, and Metacognition

• Processing speed, the pace at which children can take in, understand, and respond to information, increases during middle childhood
• Faster processing speed allows children to complete cognitive tasks more efficiently (reading comprehension, problem-solving)
• Selective attention, the ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring distractions, improves during middle childhood
• Children become better at sustaining attention for extended periods and filtering out irrelevant stimuli (focusing on a lecture despite background noise)
• Metacognition, the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes, develops during middle childhood
• Children begin to monitor their own learning, assess their understanding, and adjust their strategies accordingly (recognizing when they need to re-read a passage for better comprehension)

Memory Strategies

Rehearsal, Organization, Elaboration, and Mnemonics

• Rehearsal involves repeatedly practicing or reviewing information to maintain it in working memory and transfer it to long-term memory (reciting a phone number until it is dialed)
• Organization strategies involve grouping related information together to make it easier to remember (categorizing grocery list items by store section)
• Elaboration involves connecting new information to existing knowledge to create meaningful associations and enhance long-term retention (relating a historical event to a personal experience)
• Mnemonics are memory aids that use imagery, acronyms, or rhymes to make information more memorable (using "ROY G. BIV" to remember the colors of the rainbow)
• Children increasingly use these strategies spontaneously and effectively during middle childhood, leading to improved memory performance
• Explicit instruction and practice in using memory strategies can further enhance children's memory abilities (teaching students to create mind maps or use the method of loci)