Information processing
Information processing refers to the cognitive ability of individuals to encounter, understand, and utilize new information by linking it to prior knowledge, storing it in memory, and retrieving it when needed. This concept is rooted in cognitive psychology, which studies how the mind processes memory and information. Cognitive psychologists often compare human information processing to computer operations, where information is input, processed, stored, and retrieved. The process typically involves three main stages: sensory memory, short-term (or working) memory, and long-term memory.
Sensory memory captures information from the environment through the senses, allowing the brain to filter out what is deemed important. Short-term memory holds thoughts in the moment, while long-term memory retains information for an extended period. Effective information processing relies on selective attention, enabling individuals to focus on relevant information amidst distractions. Various strategies, such as "chunking" and encoding, help improve memory retention, making it easier to learn and recall information. Understanding these mechanisms can enhance learning and cognitive performance across diverse contexts.
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Information processing
Information processing is a person's ability to encounter new information, connect it to prior knowledge, instill this new knowledge in memory, and recall it when necessary. The term information processing applies to a range of theories from the field of cognitive psychology. This branch of psychology focuses on memory and how the mind gathers and uses information. Cognitive psychologists often use computer-related terms to explain the way the brain processes information. They believe that people process information in a manner similar to the way computers process information. Information is input into a computer, which processes and stores this information until it is needed to generate some form of output. Likewise, a human brain gathers, stores, and interprets information, all of which can affect what the human does with this information. Information processing is how learning happens. Moreover, it is how learned information is stored and used.
Background
The two models of information processing are serial processing and parallel processing. Serial processing is when only one processing task can be completed at a time. Parallel processing is when more than one processing task occurs at a given time. People who are skilled at a task are more easily capable of parallel processing while completing that task than those who are new to it. People who work in a business office for years are capable of multitasking and thinking ahead on projects, while new hires must focus their attention on properly completing one assignment.
A popular theory of information processing is the "stage theory." The first stage is sensory memory. The human brain experiences the world through the five senses. These experiences are information the brain must process. During this stage, the brain decides which information is important and which is unimportant. For example, a student in a classroom might dismiss the sound of the student behind her tapping his pen as unimportant information. The same student might give more weight to the complex equations the teacher is jotting on the chalkboard and the explanation the instructor is delivering verbally. This sorting of information is involuntary and unconscious.
The second stage is short-term memory, sometimes called "working memory." This refers to a person's thoughts at the moment they experience something through the senses. The first two stages allow people to quickly interpret information. People allocate more of their cognitive resources to important tasks. These resources are limited, and an individual's effectiveness is dependent upon efficient use of these resources. The way these resources are used is situational. If a person is walking along an icy sidewalk, they might devote the majority of their attention to foot placement and maintaining balance. Conversely, on a day when sidewalk conditions are not treacherous, they might pay more attention to the neighbor across the street stepping out of a new car. People are limited in how much they can divide their attention.
The last stage is long-term memory. This refers to information people can easily remember. Long-term memory is permanent memory. An example of long-term memory is the ability to recall the protagonists and antagonists of a novel even years after reading it. Information can be shifted from the short-term memory to the long-term memory via memorization and repetition.
Overview
For information processing to occur, learners must be able to convert important information from their short-term memory to their long-term memory. A learner's success often depends on their personal capability for selective attention. Selective attention is the learner's ability to filter out distractions and concentrate on the important task at hand.
Cognitive load can be a problem. Cognitive load refers to all the information and stimuli surrounding a person. The three types of cognitive load are intrinsic load, extraneous load, and germane load. Consider the following example: A student is studying at the park and has their notes open on their lap. Meanwhile, a dog is barking, the buzz of music drifts from a jogger's headphones, a construction crew is drilling as it sets up a new sliding board, and the smell of tacos wafts from a nearby truck.
The intrinsic load is the difficulty of the information the student is trying to understand and commit to memory. This is the knowledge the student needs to commit to their long-term memory.
The extraneous load refers to distractions. This can refer to any information the student is not trying to process and commit to memory (e.g., the barking dog, the music, the tacos, etc.). The student must try to filter out these disruptive stimuli.
Germane load consists of activities and instructional materials designed to facilitate learning the necessary information. A classroom with effective learning will have a weighty germane load and a light extraneous load. A capable instructor will keep the intrinsic load at a manageable level, so as not to overload students with information.
"Chunking" is a popular method to help learners process and retain information. Chunking means separating information into chunks. Because of the limitations of short-term memory, information is more easily understood when it is broken down into smaller pieces. If too much information is presented at one time, much of that information will not be able to be processed and stored.
Students can often learn by rehearsal, which is repetition. Repetition, however, does not guarantee that a learner will retain the information in their long-term memory. Thus, encoding is used. Encoding is making use of the knowledge a learner already has to imprint the information on the learner's memory. An example of encoding is the use of the mnemonic device "HOMES" to recall the names of the Great Lakes. Each letter in "HOMES" is the first letter of the name of one of the lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
Bibliography
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