Cognition: The Brains Role

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Cognition The Brains Role
LESSON 4
Module 3 Designing for Communication
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• Lesson Overview
• In this lesson, you will
• Explore the inner workings of the brain
• Explore how the brain stores memory
• Explore how to create memories in a Web design

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• Guiding Questions
• What is your earliest childhood memory?
• What things do you recall about that memory?

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• Memory
• Three types
• Sensory
• Short-term or working
• Long-term

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• Sensory Memory
• Quick Recognition
• Details not always remembered
• Information is not stored
• Demonstration
• You will be shown an image for 2 seconds
• Dont write anything down
• Just try to remember what the image is

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• View for 2 Seconds
• CBSHBOESPNNBC

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• Demo 1
• What did you see?
• How many of the 13 letters do you remember?
• You might remember that you saw letters, but
  cant remember which ones.

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• Short-term or Working Memory
• Allows you to remember 7 2 items for a short
  period of time
• Chunking allows you to increase the information
  remembered
• Telephone number example
• Return to our demo of 13 letters

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• View for 2 Seconds
• CBS HBO ESPN NBC

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• Demo 2
• Write what you remember seeing
• Adding spaces chunked the letters
• 13 letters vs. 4 chunks of information

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• Long-term Memory
• Transferred from short-term memory through
  repetition
• Can be stored for long periods of time
• Needs to be used or refreshed to stay active
• Some information can be stored for a lifetime

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• Demo 3
• Take another look at our 13 letters
• CBS HBO ESPN NBC
• Four television networks
• Repetition when viewing TV
• Stored in long-term memory

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• Storing Memories
• Encoding the process by which we store and
  process memories
• Attention can affect the encoding
• For example studying in a noisy distracting
  environment vs. a quiet one

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• Making Connections
• Connecting new information with already stored
  information
• Similar to bricks and mortar
• Learning a new language

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• A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
• Creating a picture in your mind
• Useful when learning the parts of something
• Textbooks and teachers give you pictures
• Active participation helps with retention
• Taking notes
• Completing a labeled model
• Charts, etc.

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• Mixing It All Up
• Use of multiple senses
• More active part of the information
• Science experiment
• Discuss the experiment hearing
• Use your hands during the experiment touch
• Make observations during the experiment sight

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• Perception
• Connection with prior stored memory
• Cultural
• Physical
• Environmental
• Other experience
• Dog, cat, skunk scenario

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• Fitts Law
• The time that it takes an individual to move to
  an object is related to the objects size and
  distance.
• Examples in Web design
• Save button
• Reset button

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• Applications for Web Design
• Repetition helps with memory
• Use of multiple senses
• Chunking
• Avoidance of negative cultural perceptions
• If you want them to use it, make it easy to find

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• Perceptions and Illusions
• Look at the following sites and see how
  perceptions can affect what you see in a Web site
  and how optical illusions affect what you see.
• Scientific Psychic - http//www.scientificpsychic.
  com/graphics
• Optical Illusions - http//kids.niehs.nih.gov/illu
  sion/illusions.htm
• 78 Optical Illusions - http//www.michaelbach.de/o
  t
• eChalk Optical Illusions - http//www.echalk.co.uk
  /amusements/OpticalIllusions/illusions.htm

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• Assignment
• Quiz during the next meeting over the following
• Communication
• Vision
• Memory
• Use your notes as a study guide

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• Lesson Review
• Describe the inner workings of the brain.
• How does the brain store memory?
• How can you use this knowledge to design Web
  pages that will help viewers remember the
  information on your pages?