ElmCore Journal of Educational Psychology October, 2014 | Page 43

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There are several suggested models of how
new stimuli are recognized in sensory memory, and
each deals with pattern recognition. The matching of
new stimuli to existing memory structures is a crucial
factor in the acquisition of new knowledge. If new
information is not brought into memory in a
meaningful way, it will not be stored as memory.
Therefore, the understanding of the patterns by which
this information is represented is critical to the proper
introduction of new information. Driscoll (2001) says
that pattern recognition is “the process whereby
environmental stimuli are recognized as exemplars of
concepts and principles already in memory” (p. 84).
She discusses three models of pattern recognition:
template matching, the prototype model, and feature
analysis.
The template matching model holds that
there are exact representations of previous stimuli
trapped in the mind. Pattern recognition, then, occurs
by matching input with a specific, perfect specimen
stored in memory. This model seems to fall short
because of the vast numbers of templates that would
have to exist in memory for any one type of entity and
because it does not account for imperfect stimuli or
imperfect templates. The second pattern recognition
model is the prototype. This model suggests that the
stored unit is a generalized or abstracted form of the
knowledge unit, and pattern recognition is based on a
comparison of the input to the prototype. If a close
match is established, new information can be accepted
as the existing class. These two models are very
similar in that they each attempt to match incoming
information with a whole picture stored in memory.
This holistic comparison differentiates them from the
third model, feature analysis. In this system, incoming
information is judged based on characteristics rather
than a whole idea. Individual characteristics are picked
out and then grouped to label the new stimulus as an
“X”. The major difference, simply put, is that these
two models seem to work in opposite directions.
Short-term or working memory. The second
stage of information processing is the working or
short-term memory. This stage is often viewed as
active or conscious memory because it is the part of
memory that is being actively processed while new
information is being taken in. Short-term memory has
a very limited capacity and unrehearsed information
will begin to be lost from it within 15-30 seconds if
other action is not taken. There are two main ways that
are effective in processing information while it is in
short-term memory. Rote or maintenance rehearsal is

ElmCore® Journal of Educational Psychology

the first but less desirable of these methods. This type
of rehearsal is intended only to keep information until
it can be processed further. It consists mainly of some
sort of repetition of the new information, and if it is
not processed further will be lost. In fact, studies on
the limitations of working memory have revealed a
specific number of units that the mind can process at
any given time, and it is now generally accepted that 5
+ 2 is the maximum number of stimuli that can be
processed at once. There are several types of activities
that one can perform to encode new informatio