REPORT: INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY B.

Individuals are more likely to pay attention if the stimulus

activates a known pattern.
According to the information-processing theory, the human  Automaticity – when tasks are overlearned to the
mind is like a computer into which information flows, is extent that their attention requirements are minimal.
operated on, and is converted to output—that is, answers,  Automaticity allows attention to be redirected to
inferences, or solutions to problems. other information or stimuli and allows for the ability
of multi-tasking without distracting totally from the
INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY…
acquisition of new information.
 How human attend to recognize, transform, store, retrieve
information 2. SHORT TERM MEMORY (WORKING MEMORY)
 It is said that the information a person focuses on
A primary focus of this approach is on memory and chooses to retain enters into short-term
memory, at least for a brief period of time.
MEMORY…
 STM has a very limited capacity (though not as
1. ENCODING – refers to making representations of limited s sensory memory) and unrehearsed
information so that it can be placed into our memories. information will begin to be lost from it within 15-
2. STORING – process of encoded information into 30 seconds if other action is not taken.
relatively permanents storage for later recall STM is also called working memory – it is the place
3. RETRIEVING – process of getting or recalling where new registered information is mixed with
information that has been placed into short term or long previously learned information during reading,
term storage. thinking, and problem solving.
 We can store information for longer period in
The most widely used model of information processing is the STM. There are two main ways that are effective in
STAGE THEORY based on the work of Atkinson and processing information while it is in short-term
Shriffin (1968). memory.
1. Chunking – combining an entire list into
The model proposes that information is processed and stored meaningful chunk, so it can be remembered
in 3 types or stages of memory: SENSORY MEMORY, along with six (6) or seven (7) more chunks
SHORT-TERM MEMORY, and LONG-TERM MEMORY. 2. Maintenance Rehearsal – an encoding
strategy utilizing repetition
1. SENSORY MEMORY (SENSORY REGISTER)-
 Represents the first stage of stimuli perception; it is
3. LONG TERM MEMORY
associated with the senses.
 Houses all previous perceptions, knowledge, and
 Here, the information we attend to and perceive with
information learned by an individual
our eyes and ears is registered or received in our
 This is information that may remain for most of
thinking process. It is then stored, temporarily, in our
person’s life.
sensory memory, before transferred to short-term
memory for temporary retention.
 It is been said that the transfer of new information
quickly to the next stage of processing is of critical
importance since this stage is temporally limited,
 This occurs in as little as (1/2) half a second
for visual stimuli and three (3) seconds for
auditory stimuli.
 To ensure transfer and many methods for facilitating
that transfer, there are two major concepts for getting
information into STM:
A. Individuals are more likely to pay attention to a
stimulus if it has an interesting feature.
Attention – (“to attend to one thing is to not
attend to others”); to attend to a stimulus is to
focus on it while consciously attempting to
ignore other stimuli.