Information Processing Theory

Class Notes 11/10

Information Processing: View of the Child

• Child as computer

  • Child actively works to solve problems, given the “hardware” available at a given age

  • Thinking is “information processing”

  • Development driven by domain-general thinking processes (e.g., memory, attention)

Information Processing - Computer Analogy

Input Devices (Sensory Memory) —> Processor/Ram (Working Memory) —> Output (Response to Stimuli) —> Hard Drive Storage (Long-Term Memory)

The Information Processing System

• Divides the cognitive system into components (e.g., memory, attention, perception) and look at how these work to acquire, manipulate, and transform knowledge

Aim of Information Processing is to…

• Describe thinking

• If thinking is information processing, then we should be able to:

  • Identify system capabilities

  • Analyze representations

  • Analyze processes

  • Include cognitive and metacognitive

Task Analysis

• Analyze the knowledge and processes involved in various processes

  • To understand and predict behaviors

  • Compare expert vs. novices

• Provides detailed description of the steos involved in thinking (like a computer program)

What Changes with Age?

• Basic processes increase in terms of capacity, speed, and efficiency

  • Attention

  • Memory

  • Perception

• Strategies become more sophisticated and efficient

  • Ex. Rehearsal versus mnemonics for memorizing information

• With age, we generally use better and more efficient strategies, BUT at any age multiple strategies are available to us

• With age and experiences, children become better able to adaptively choose the best strategy for different situations or problems

Information Processing: How Does it Change?

• Increased Knowledge Base

  • About the world (content knowledge)

  • About one’s own abilities and limitations (metacognition)

• Biological Processes

  • Myelination

  • Synaptogenesis (increased connectivity)

  • Neurogenesis (growth of gray matter)

Selective Attention

• Intentionally focusing on a specific task or source of information while filtering out competing, irrelevant information or distractions in the environment

  • Ex. Where’s Waldo: Searching only for stripes

Information Processing Key Mechanisms

• Encoding:

  • Representing features of objects and events in memory

• Association:

  • “Tie” two events together (similar to classical conditioning but does not rely on unconditioned stimulus)

    • Ex. Connecting facial expressions with emotions; connecting cause-and-effect

• Automation:

  • Skills become “unconscious” leading to faster, more accurate execution (frees resource for other processes)

• Generalization:

  • Applying solutions from one situation to another

• Strategy Construction and/or Selection:

  • Create new strategies when faced with problems; strategies compete with each other; adaptively select best strategy

    • Generalization might be a strategy selected for this!

Six Key Mechanisms

1. Selective Attention: ignoring distracting or irrelevant information

2. Encoding: representing features of objects and events in memory

3. Association: come to “tie” two events together

4. Automization: skills become “unconscious” leading to faster more accurate execution (frees resources for other processes)

5. Generalization: applying solutions from one situation to another

6. Strategy Construction/Selection: generate new strategies when faced with problems; strategies compete with each other; adaptively select best strategy

Critique of Information Processing Theory

• Pros:

  • Specific, therefore testable

  • Allows for individual differences (performances can differ depending on task)

• Cons:

  • Little focus on social contexts

  • Hard to differentiate between milestones and mechanisms

Application to Education

• Base assessment and instruction on task analysis

  • Detailed picture of knowledge

  • Target instruction to particular need

• Adjust instruction to support learning mechanisms

• Design interventions to improve or promote learning mechanisms