Information Processing
Theory
Types of Knowledge
Stages
General/Specific
Encoding
Declarative
Storage
Procedural
Episodic
Conditional
Retrieval
Executive Control
Processes
Information Processing
Is a cognitive theoretical framework that
focuses on how knowledge enters and is
stored and retrieved from our memory.
It focus on how people attend to
environmental events, encode information to
be learned and relate it to knowledge in
memory, store new knowledge in memory
and retrieved it as needed.
Information Processing Theory
This theory uses the computer metaphor with its inputs
and outputs.
Cognitive psychologists believe that cognitive processes
influence the nature of what is learned. They consider
learning as largely an internal process, not an external
behavior change (as behaviorist theorists thought). They
look into how we receive, perceive, store and retrieve
information. They believe that how a person thinks about
and interprets what s/he receives shapes what he/she will
learn. All these notions comprise what is called the
information processing theory.
IPT describes how the learner receives
information (stimuli) from the environment
through the senses and what takes place in
between determines whether the information
will continue to pass through the sensory
register, then the short term memory and the
long term memory.
Types of Knowledge
 General vs. Specific: This involves whether the
knowledge is useful in many tasks, or only in one.
 Declarative: This refers to factual knowledge. They
relate to the nature of how things are. They may be in
the form of a word or an image.
 Procedural: This includes knowledge on how to do
things.
 Episodic: this includes memories of life events, like
your high school graduation.
 Conditional: This is about “knowing when and why” to
apply declarative or procedural strategies.
Stages in the Information Processing
Theory
The stages of IPT involve the functioning of the senses,
sensory register, short term memory and the long term
memory. Basically, IPT asserts three primary stages in the
progression
of
external
information
becoming
incorporated into the internal cognitive structure of
choice (schema, concept, script, frame, mental model,
etc.
Three Primary Stages in IPT
1. Encoding
 information is sensed, perceived, and attended to.
 when information comes into our memory system
(from a sensory input) it needs to be changed into
a form that the system can cope with so that it can
be stored.
“Three Main Ways in which Information can be
encoded”
 Visual (picture)
 Acoustic (sound)
 Semantic (meaning)
2. Storage
 The information is stored for either a brief or
extended period of time, depending upon the
processes following encoding.
 This concerns the nature of memory stores, i.e.
where the information is stored, how long the
memory lost for, how much can be stored at
any time and what kind of information is held.
3. Retrieval
 The information is brought back at the
appropriate time, and reactivated for use on a
current task, the true measure of effective
memory.
 Refers to getting information out storage
Three Main Stages in the Memory Process
1. Sensory Register
 The main purpose of sensory register is to screen
incoming stimuli and process only those stimuli that
are most relevant at the present time.
 Capacity: Our mind receives a great amount of
information but it is more than what our minds can
hold or perceive.
 Duration: The sensory register only holds the
information for an extremely brief – in the order of
1 to 3 seconds.
 There is a difference in duration based on
modality: auditory memory is more persistent than
visual.
2. Short Term Memory (STM or Working Memory)
 Capacity: The STM can only hold 5 to 9 “chunks”
of information, sometimes described as 7 + /- 2. it
is called working memory because it is where new
information is temporarily placed while it is
mentally processed. STM maintain information for
a limited time, until the learner has adequate
resources to process the information, or until the
information is forgotten.
 Duration: Around 18 seconds or less.
 To reduce the loss of information in 18 seconds,
you need to do maintenance rehearsal. It is using
the repetition to keep the information active in
STM, like when you repeat a phone number just
given over and over.
3. Long Term Memory (LTM)
 The LTM is the final or permanent storing house for
memory information. It holds the stored information
until needed again.
 Capacity: LTM has unlimited capacity.
 Duration: Duration in the LTM is indefinite.
Executive Control Processes
Involve the executive processor or what is
referred to as metacognitive skills. These
processes guide the flow of information
through the system, help the learner make
informed decisions about how to categorize,
organize, or interpret information.
Forgetting
Is the inability to retrieve or access information when
needed.
Why do we forget? There are 2 simple answer to this
question.
 First, the memory has disappeared – it is no longer
available.
 Second, the memory is still stored in the memory
system but, for some reason it cannot be
retrieved.
Two Main Ways in which Forgetting Likely Occurs
1. Decay – Information is not attended to and
eventually “fades” away.
Very prevalent in
Working Memory.
2. Interference – New or old information “blocks”
access to the information in question.
 Proactive (pro-forward) occurs when you
cannot learn a new tasks because of an old task
that had been learn.
 Retroactive (retro-backward) occurs when you
forget a previously learnt task due to the
learning of a new task.
Methods for Increasing Retrieval of
Information
 Rehearsal – this is repeating information verbatim,
either mentally or aloud.
 Meaningful Learning – this is making connections
between new information and prior knowledge.
 Organization – it is making connections among
various pieces of information.
 Elaboration – this is adding additional ideas to
new information based on what one already
knows.
 Visual Imagery – this means forming a ‘picture” of
the information.
 Generation – things we “produce” are easier to
remember than things we “’hear”.
 Context – remembering the situation helps
recover information.
 Personalization – it is making the information
relevant to the individual.
Other Memory Methods
 Serial Position Effect (recency & primacy) – you
will remember the beginning and end of “list”
most readily.
 Part Learning – break up the “list” or “chunk”
information to increase memorization.
 Distributed Practice – break up learning sessions,
rather than cramming all the info in at once
(Massed Practice)
 Mnemonic Aids – these are memory techniques
that learners may employ to help them retain and
retrieved information more effectively.
Executive control Processes (including Metacognition)
Maintenance Rehearsal
Sensory
memory
Sense
decay
Perception
Sensory
memory
Forgetting
Rehearsal, Elaboration,
Meaningful Learning,
Organization, Visual
Imagery, Generalization
Sensory
memory
Retrieved
Information processing model postulates a three
component model of I.P. sensory and STM are limited
with respect to capacity and duration, whereas LTM is
more or less unlimited.
Information is received through the senses and goes
to the sensory memory for a very brief amount of
time. If not found relevant, information may decay. It
goes to the STM and if given attention and is
perceived and found to be relevant, it is sent to the
LTM. If not properly encoded, forgetting occurs.
Different cognitive processes applied to the
information will then determine if information can be
retrieved when needed later.
References:
Lucas, Maria Rita D. and Brenda B. Corpuz.(2013).
facilitating learning: a metacognitive process.(3rd
Edition). Quezon City, Metro Manila: Lorimar
Publishing, Inc.
Matlin, Margeret W. (2005). Cognition. Crawfordsville:
John Willey & Sons, Inc.
Miller, G.A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or
minus two: Some Limits on our capacity for
processing information. Psychological Review, 63
(2): 81-87.