Information Processing Theory

The information processing theory is an approach to the cognitive development of a human being, which deals with the study and the analysis of the sequence of events that occur in a persons mind while receiving some new piece of information. In short, it is the analysis of the way a human being learns something new. There is a fixed pattern of events that take place in such a situation, and by knowing this pattern we can enable children and people with special abilities to learn new things faster.

This theory, laid down by experts in psychology claims that the human mind is very similar to that of computers, as far as information processing and analysis is concerned. They also say that any new piece of information that enters the brain is first analyzed and then put through the test of several benchmarks before being stored in some vestibules of the memory. Since these actions occur at a very fast speed, we are unable to notice them in action.

The sensory perceptors of a human being function in the same way as the hardware of a computer does, and the mindset and the rules and strategies adopted by the person while learning is equivalent to the software used by computers. The information processing system of a person can thus be enhanced if these perceptors and rules are altered.

Information Processing Model

There is a fixed structure that this theory follows, and it is divided into the following four parts.

• The store model - This is a breakdown of the model which states that the information that has been received can be stored in any of the processing units, or the channels through which it passes. These channels are the sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory.
• The sensory register - This is that part of the mental processing unit that receives all information and then stores it temporarily or permanently.
• Short-term memory - That part of the sensory register where the information is stored temporarily. Once the decision has been made regarding the information, the information will either be discarded or transferred to the long-term memory.
• Long-term memory - The part where all the information is permanently stored. It can be retrieved later as and when the need arises.

Theory of Information Processing

Now let us see what this theory is in a little bit more detail, and how the information processing approach pans out. The following sequence of events should explain what the information processing cycle looks like.

• At any time, if an individual is perceiving information, storing information, encoding information, representing information or retrieving information to or from his mind, he is said to be thinking.
• When a problem or a dilemma presents itself, the individual must encode the critical information about this problem, and then use information that has been stored beforehand to solve this problem. The 4 steps that make up this process are encoding, strategy construction, automatization and generalization.
• By modifying and adjusting responses to previous problems, a person develops newer ways to deal with similar problems in the future without making the same mistakes. This is known as self-modification.

Information Processing and Management

This theory as we know it today, was developed by George Miller in 1956. Note that he did not create the theory by himself, but simply developed a better way to understand it. He said that the human mind can only hold 5-9 chunks of information at a time, and it receives the information, processes it, stores it, locates it and then responds to it. He also said that learning is simply a change in the knowledge that has been stored by the memory.

The information processing model of memory is something that is very vast and complex to study, and all this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Learning about this theory enables one to enhance the learning process of children and adults by explaining how this process works.