INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY

Information Processing Theory - is a cognitive

theory that focuses on how information is encoded
into our memory. The theory describes how our
brains filter information, from what we’re paying
attention to in the present moment, to what gets
stored in our short-term or working memory and
ultimately into our long-term memory.
 Types of Knowledge

• General vs. Specific - useful in many task or only one

• Declarative - factual knowledge/ semantic/ name

• Procedural - how to do things

• Episodic - life events

• Conditional - knowing when and why

Three stages

• Encoding - acquiring information/ sensed/ perceived

a. Shallow - easy to forget
b. Deep - meaningful

• Storage - information is stored

• Retrieval - getting information back when needed

Origins of Information Processing Theory -

George Armitage Miller was the first to put forth the

idea of the theory of information processing. He was
one of the original founders of cognition studies in
psychology and considered a progenitor of the
information processing model in psychology. His
studies are based on Edward C. Tolman’s sign and
latent learning theories, which propose that learning
is an internal and complex process which involves
mental processes.
John William Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin are
also associated with the information
processing approach in cognitive psychology.
The Cognitive Information Processing Theory
refers to the proposed multi-stage theory of
memory, which is one of the leading models of
information processing theory (Sala, 2007).
Two other psychologists, Alan Baddeley and
Graham Hitch made significant contributions
to the information processing theory in
psychology through their own studies. They
presented a more in-depth information
processing model of memory with various
stages, such as visuospatial sketch pad,
phonological loop, and central executive
(Baddeley, 2006).
Memory System ( John William Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin )

1. Sensory Memory - It holds the information that the mind

perceives through various senses such as visual, olfactory, or
auditory information. These sense organs often receive a
barrage of stimuli all the time.

2. Short-Term Memory (Working Memory) - Information in

short-term memory only lasts around 30 seconds. Cognitive
abilities affect how individuals process information in
working memory.

3.Long-Term Memory - It is thought that long-term memory

has an unlimited amount of space as it can store memories
from a long time ago to be retrieved at a later time.
Elements of Information Processing Theory
Information stores - The different places in the mind
where information is stored, such as sensory memory,
short-term memory, long-term memory, semantic
memory, episodic memory, and more.
Cognitive processes - The various processes that
transfer memory among different memory stores.
Some of the processes include perception, coding,
recording, chunking, and retrieval.
Executive cognition - The awareness of the individual of
the way information is processed within him or her. It also
pertains to knowing their strengths and weaknesses. This
is very similar to metacognition.
Limitations of Information Processing Theory

Analogy Between Computer and Human is Limited

The information processing theory likens the mind to a
computer due to the following aspects:

Combining or connecting new information with stored

information reveals new information that can provide
solutions to various problems.

A computer has a central processing unit which has limited

computing power. Similarly, the central executive in
humans has a limited capacity that affects the human
attentional system.