1. I never really stopped to think about how much information we are taking in and how often we make inferences based on the information that is already known. This chapter shows just how impressive our cognitive abilities are. Four models are discussed in the area of semantic memory in this chapter. Each having similarities and differences from one another. The feature comparison model, Prototype approach, and Exemplar approach all explain how items belong is some sort of category and we classify new information by deciding where it fits best. The final approach are network models. This is approach is more complex and shows how connections are made through networks that link together in many ways. This chapter also describes how schemas and scripts influence our memory. Schemas greatly influence the inferences we make in memory. Our background knowledge or current schemas that we may already be custom to may mislead us when learning or hearing something new. I was amazed after reading this chapter of how much information we really can store and how we organize it all:)

5. (Sorry I am out of order!) The PDP approach was a lot of information to take in. The book states that it is still a fairly new approach and cannot yet evaluate whether it can accommodate actual data about a wide variety of cognitive processes. The PDP research has trouble explaining the forgetting of well learned information that occurs when we learn additional information. I would think more research needs to be done to determine the links between psyschology and neuroscience. I an unsure as to what would be a way to do this. 

2. As I was learning in this chapter how we make connections and store more and more information, I was thinking a lot about chapter 2. In chapter 2 we learned how we use our senses for recognition. We then learned how stimuli is interpreted from our previous knowledge. When we have certain schemas or scripts about information our perception plays a large part in forming new connections. Some of us may perceive something different than others. When reviewing visual perception chapter 2 refers to the PDP approach. When people see features in a word, these features activate letter units. These units then activate a word in our "mental dictionary" for that combination of letters. This examples shows how the network model links ideas together all of the time. 

3. The question this week about "How schemas influence our memory through each phase" was tough for me. I think I need more information about how each phase works. It was all kind of blending together to me and each phase wasn't as clear cut to me as maybe it should be. 

4. I use the networking model all the time in my classroom. As many people stated this week, I think that it is important for students to see the many connections that can be made throughout our memory process. When we brainstorm new ideas in class we usually make a web. We may start with only one specific idea, but we end up with related information that students might not have thought ever connected. I think having students work together to do this is helpful. Different students have information to pull from different backgrounds. One students ideas may trigger another students ideas. 

6. Learning about the structure of semantic memory is important because it helps us in organizing more and more information that we take in. Without this process we would not be able to make connections and we would be on overload. I think the four approaches in this chapter explain why we have not gone into overload and we can hold all the information that we do.

7. I use graphic organizers to represent network models with all kids. Low students probably benefit from them the most because it gives them a broader look at a topic being covered. Higher level students can make connections and show the link between topics without writing them down, but when they work together they might have a larger background knowledge to work from. 

8. I think that an easy way to learn about our semantic memory is to ask students what schemas they already have before a lesson to determine if prexisting knowledge is affecting their new learning.