S. GANAPATHI LEARNING THEORIES PAPER
1
Information Processing Theory
Educational philosophies influence our belief in what knowledge is and how learning takes
place. Learning theories describe the process how this learning takes place stating principles and
assertions from their philosophical base. This paper discusses the information processing theory
whose processes and methods are associated with a cognitivist epistemology. It places more
emphasis on factors within the learner and less on the environment.
Overview: Information processing theories describe learning as a series of transformations of
information in hypothetical structures in the brain. The cognitive approach of this theory focuses
on the mental activities of the learner that leads up to a response. Memory plays a prominent role
in the learning process. Learning occurs when information is stored and retrieved from the
memory in a meaningful way.
Contributors: One of the most influential information processing theories was first put forth by
Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) when they conceptualized the multi-store model. These explain
learning as a series of transformation of information through several types of storage or memory.
In recent years Rummelhart’s (1980) Schema theory and Craik & Lockhart’s (1972) level of
processing theory are viewed as compatible with the multi-store theory in explaining sub
processes and structures. George Miller’s (1956) theoretical ideas of perception, span of attention
and chunking of information from cognitive psychology have greatly influenced the information
processing theory.
Major Principles: Schuell (1986) credits five ways that cognitive psychology has influenced the
learning theory. This is applicable to the information processing theory.





Learning is a constructive process where the learner is actively involved.
It involves high-level processes. Emphasizes the use of hierarchical analysis to identify
and illustrate relationships.
Learning is cumulative and adds on to prior knowledge. Emphasis on structuring,
organizing and sequencing information.
Knowledge is represented and organized in a certain way in the memory.
Cognitive processes enable analysis of learning tasks and performance.
Application: An example where this theory is translated into classroom instruction is in the use
of concept maps. The aim is to recall prior knowledge of hardware components. Students have to
fill in the blanks to show the hierarchy of system unit components in the concept map below.
System Unit
a. ……………
Devices
Processor
Intel
e. ………...
c………....
d. ………….
b. ……..
Solid state
Display
Device Ports
RAM
VGA
Floppy Disk
Drive
CD Drive
f. ……………
g. ………..
h. …….
Disk Drive
DVD Drive
EEPROM
DVI
i. …………..
Drive
S. GANAPATHI LEARNING THEORIES PAPER
2
References
Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control
processes. In K. W. Spence & J. T. Spence (Eds.), The psychology of learning and
motivation (Vol. 2). New York: Academic Press.
Craik, F.I. M., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory
research. Journal of Verbal Thinking and Verbal Behavior, 11, 671-684.
Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing
critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement
Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.
Jonassen, D. & Land, S. Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments. New York:
Routledge, Taylor & Francis group.
Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity
for processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97
Rumelhart, D. E. (1980). Schemata: The building blocks of cognition. In R. J. Spiro, B. C.
Bruce, & W. F. Brewer (Eds.). Theoretical issues in Reading Comprehension (pp 33-48).
Hillsdale, NJ: Earlbaum.
Shuell, T. J. (1986). Cognitive conceptions of learning. Review of Educational Research, 56,
411-436
Smith, P. L. & Ragan T. J. (2012). Instructional Design, 3rd Edition. New Jersey: Wiley/Jossey,
Bass Education.