Memory, Cognition, and the Brain

Jacaueline A. Haynes

CAHA 501

Adult Learning:

Maturity Through Old Age

Dr. Margaret Mbilizi

Instructor

June 3, 2006

Learning ProcessMemory, Cognition, and the Brain

•One view of adult education is tht learning is an internal process: it involves something happening inside of our brains.

•A majority of studies in the cognitive and neurobiological sciences have been done with children and there are very little studies with adults.

•Work with adults have been primily been in the area of memory and aging.

Human Memory

•Information Processing

•Sensory memory

•Long-term memory

Fear of memory loss is a common concern as people age

•As we age memory function decline. Sensory and working memory change in both vision and hearing. However, working memory is considered to be a potentially important mediator of the relations between age and cognition(Salthouse, 1992a, p. 39).

•One concept of slowing of the processing of information in older adults is they areunable to perform cognitive task while trying to remember information for later meory tasks

Long Term MemoryWorking memory deficits are more commonly found in

long-term memory

•Changes in older versus younger learners:

♦Changes in encoding and acquisitionof maerial

♦Retrivial of information

♦Speed of processing

♦Few changes in storage or retention capacity of long- germ emory of the life span

•Real-Life Memories

•Fostering Memory Capacity and Skills

Knowledge Structures

•Declative Knowledge♦Factual Knowledge that people can report or descrive

•Procedural knowledge♦Performing tasks

•Prior Knowledge and Experience♦Are improtant to the learning process

♦Important that educators be knowledgable of the amount of prior knowledge that an adult learner has in the area of insturction

Cognative Style and learning Style

•Everyone has a different of learning

Neurobiology and LearningOur Brain

•Is the principle regulator of emotions

•Influences the selection and clasification of experiences that is stored in long-term memory

•Processes the information that we incounter

♦Many conscious and unconscious actions occurs simultaneously

♦Information is stored and retrived when needed that is stored in long-term memory

Neurobiology and LearningOur Brain

•Connection to Learning

♦Learning is adulthood still requires a lot of research before researchers can make any real useful linkage that will affect large numbers os adults Concept one

♦There are still many questions among educators about the gap between theoretical knowledge and how the brain and related systems work and practical application of that knwledge

Merging Research from the Cognitive and Neurobiological Sciences

•By gaining a beter understanding of biological explanation of emotiona, attetional, and other physiological mechanisms that facilitate memory and learning, researchers should gain a better understanding about how the nimd works and adults learn.

•For those of us who are still thinking about research topics for our distertation, this is a great research topic.

Questions and Comments