Cognitive Psychology Assignment: Memory, Metacognition, and Strategies

This assignment delves into key concepts within cognitive psychology, including long-term memory, metacognition, and the importance of time management and effective learning strategies. The student explores the different types of long-term memory, such as procedural, semantic, and episodic memory, as well as the distinctions between implicit and explicit memory. The assignment also examines metacognition, including meta-memory and meta-comprehension, and how these skills impact learning outcomes. The student reflects on their own time management skills and the strategies they employed to complete the assignment successfully, highlighting the importance of planning, organization, and understanding the task requirements. The assignment concludes with a bibliography of relevant sources used in the research.

Running head: COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note:

1COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Table of Contents
Part 1: Long-Term Memory..................................................................................................2
Part 2: Metacognition............................................................................................................3
Part 3: Reliability, Accountability, and Timeliness...............................................................4
Bibliography..........................................................................................................................5

2COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Part 1: Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory is the stage of multi-modal memory model where information is
stored live long with unlimited capacity (Sweller, 2016) . One of the earliest classifications of
long-term memory was given by Tulving who divided long-term memory into procedural,
semantic and episodic memory. Procedural memory is the part that is involved with the
knowledge of how to do things. For example, knowledge about how to ride a bicycle.
Semantic memory is the part that is involved with storage of information about the world
which includes general knowledge and word meanings. For example, names of nine planets.
Episodic memory is the part that stores information about the events we have experienced in
our lives. For example, memory about roller coaster rides in parks.
Semantic and episodic memories are explicit memories because they require
conscious awareness to recall and verbally explain them. They are called explicit because
they can be verbally recalled like naming the nine planets. Explicit memory is one where we
have to consciously remember information to recall them. Procedural memory is implicit
memory because it does not require our conscious awareness to ride a bike, we do not have to
remember the steps every time we pedal and it is done effortlessly. Implicit memory is one
where the information cannot be verbally explained and is done effortlessly without any
conscious awareness.
Flashbulb memory is a detailed and vivid memory of those incidents that have
emotional significance to the person. They feel like it is like a clear photograph captured in
the moment where they can see what they are doing or telling. Even though they are
experienced with great confidence, they sometimes may not be true due to inconsistency in
human memory. Sometimes they can also be misleading. So, researches claim them to be
autobiographical memories which are just as significant like other memories but not most
accurate.

3COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Part 2: Metacognition
Metacognition is the awareness of one’s thought processes, planning, and monitoring
and performance levels. Meta-memory is the part of metacognition where a person is aware
of one’s own memory processes and assesses his memory functioning by using different
effective tactics. Meta-comprehension is also a part of metacognition where a person is aware
of what he has learned or comprehended or not in his learning process and is able to detect
them accordingly (Lopez, Ibanez & Racines, 2017). Both are very important because a person
should have understanding when to stop learning a topic and what strategies to use
successfully.
On the basis of peer scores obtained from the quiz it has been seen that
undergraduate students who used explanatory strategies scored better in the quiz than those
who relied on external aids. It has been observed that those students who scored less were not
able to comprehend the questions appropriately because they could not understand where to
detect the problems and what strategies to use where and how. This finding is consistent with
research findings where it is said expert learners have better meta-comprehension skills
whereas undergraduate students often do not know the reason behind low achievements
because of inadequate schema and self-regulation training.
Different strategies can be applied to those students who lack such skills for further
enhancement. Selecting important keywords, summarizing, understanding relevant subtexts
diagrams and vocabulary, visualizing what you read are some of the techniques students
should use while learning. Evaluating task success, monitoring mistakes and identifying
one’s learning style and needs can also help to understand one’s abilities. Such strategies if
used by students can enable them to uplift their cognitive abilities for better understanding.

4COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Part 3: Reliability, Accountability, and Timeliness
Yes, I successfully completed Unit 5 learning activity within the time period alloted.
With better planning strategies and keeping a track record of my work, it has been easier to
complete the task beforehand. Also having prepared a time schedule of how to carry out the
whole task helped immensely.
Not completing the task by due date or any tasks can be dangerous for all students
in future; because it shows lack of time management, procrastination habits, disorganized
work style and planning fallacy. Failing to meet deadline indicates that such persons have
ineffective mental mapping of how the work should be carried out in an organized manner or
underestimation of time perception. Such students may later grow up into adults always
failing to meet deadline or the unpunctual ones. Completion of this particular activity is
important because it shows proper cognitive functioning of students alongside time
management. It indicates that the students understood the task and used several strategies to
complete it therefore.

5COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Bibliography
Apaydin, M., & Hossary, M. (2017). Achieving metacognition through cognitive strategy
instruction. International Journal of Educational Management.
López-Vargas, O., Ibáñez-Ibáñez, J., & Racines-Prada, O. (2017). Students’ metacognition
and cognitive style and their effect on cognitive load and learning achievement.
Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(3), 145-157.145(1), 79.
Questienne, L., Van Opstal, F., van Dijck, J. P., & Gevers, W. (2016). Metacognition and
cognitive control: behavioural adaptation requires conflict experience. The quarterly
journal of experimental psychology, 1-15.
Sweller, J. (2016). Working memory, long-term memory, and instructional design. Journal of
Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 5(4), 360-367.
Unsworth, N. (2019). Individual differences in long-term memory. Psychological bulletin,