Learning Theory: Human Information Processing

Human Information Processing

• Overview:  A primary focus of this learning theory is on memory (the storage and retrieval of information), a subject that has been of interest for thousands of years. The most widely accepted theory is labeled the "stage theory". The focus of this model is on how information is stored in memory; the model proposes that information is processed and stored in 3 stages. 

In addition to the stage theory model of information processing, there are three more that are widely accepted. The "levels of processing" model proposes that learners utilize different levels of elaboration as they process information. The parallel-distributed processing model states that information is processed simultaneously by several different parts of the memory system, rather than sequentially as hypothesized by others. The connectionistic model emphasizes the fact that information is stored in multiple locations throughout the brain in the form of networks of connections.

Even though there are widely varying views within cognitive psychology, there are a few basic principles that most cognitive psychologists agree with. The first is the assumption of a limited capacity of the mental system. A second principle is that a control mechanism is required to oversee the encoding, transformation, processing, storage, retrieval and utilization of information. A third principle is that there is a two-way flow of information as we try to make sense of the world around us.

We constantly use information that we gather through the senses (often referred to as bottom-up processing) and information we have stored in memory (often called top-down processing) in a dynamic process as we construct meaning about our environment and our relations to it.

More...............................  The Information Processing Approach