Information Processing Theory and Approach

Do you know the complex neuro-psychological process behind how your students (or just about anybody) acquires new concepts and information? That's what the information processing theory seeks to understand. It dives into the intricate process of registering, observing and processing information within our brains, and then retrieving it when necessary.

Find out more about the theory and ways you can implement it into online classes that will benefit your students. We'll start by taking a short look at where it all began.

Skip ahead:

•    Brief history of Information Processing Theory
•    The fundamental concepts from Information Processing Theory
•    Where does it all happen in the brain?
•    Make your students pay attention to your online course content
•    Basic information processing strategies to help your students remember better.
•    The Limits of Information Processing Theory in online learning
•    Strategies to help more efficient the use of theory about information processing for online learning
•    Humanize the theory of information processing to create relatable online courses

An overview of Information Processing Theory

Back in the 1950s, scientists realized that computers were the crucial information to understand how the human mind works. George Armitage Miller and Edward C. Tolman established the basic principles of how human beings use short-term memory and the ability to learn. Building on this basic design, two popular theories of information processing theory eventually arose - that of the Atkinson and Shiffrin Model and the Baddeley and Hitch Model of Working Memory.

The Atkinson and Shiffrin Model discusses the different stages of information processing, comprising sensory memory, short term memory (working memory), and long term memory. It emphasizes the significance of attention as well as elaborate rehearsal behaviors that lead to information being stored in long-term memory. It is based on the Baddeley and Hitch Model of Working Memory expands on these concepts and explains the way we deal with language and spatial patterns.

Are you overwhelmed by the jargon of psychology? Don't worry! We've combined the best of all these theories to aid you in understanding what we humans do to process information. Let's begin understanding that through examining the way that humans process information in everyday situations as well as analyzing each of these functions in depth.

The fundamental concepts in Information Processing Theory

As an educator of creators, it's great to understand aspects of information processing.

Let's take an example:

Imagine walking down an area that is crowded and get exposed to an array of sights, sounds, and odors. People may also rub against your shoulders when you're unfortunate enough to encounter unruly crowds. In order to avoid the chaos and noise, you decide to walk to a place you know is calm and quiet. It is also a good idea to be aware that they offer the finest croissants and coffee in that section of town.

This is information processing theory in action, in real life. Let's see how:

1. There are various sensations that you feel (people moving about, someone rubbing your shoulder, a car speeding across the street and so on. - sensation. A stimulus can be an external input or information)
2. It appears to be crowded (perception is the way we interpret what was sensed).
3. Based on your previous experiences (long time episodic memory) You associate the situation as uncomfortable and potentially dangerous (being being pushed around, previous association)
4. So, you remember the place which had provided you with comfort (another chain of memory results in retrieving details about the tranquil cafe as well as its croissants - the semantic memory).
5. It is your memory that you act upon then walk towards the cafe (judging/analyzing before making a final decision. The walk to the cafe is an example of procedural memory).

    First, you sense your environment    

Human beings acquire information called "stimulus" via five senses: smell touch, vision, auditory (hearing) as well as the sense of taste. The sixth sense refers to the body's positioning as well as movement and balance known as vestibular sensing exists.

Senses and the associated sense organs

• Vision Eyes
• Audio - Ears
• Touch - Skin
• Taste - Tongue
• Aroma - Nose
• Vestibular sense, ear and other components of the nervous system.

When your sense organs convert real-world information into electrical information and your brain process them and interprets them as information that you can recognize on a conscious level. What you perceive is influenced by past connections (similar data stored within your brain, that can be recalled and draw a connection).

For creators, unless you incorporate augmented or virtual reality for the content of your lessons, you will primarily use inputs (stimuli) related to vision (reading texts and watching videos) and music (voice or background music).

    Perception is a result of sensing.

The sense organs detects stimuli in the external environment and transforms the signals they receive into electrical signals which are then perceived in various parts within the brain. Sensory processing takes place in the sense organs and perception is carried out within the brain. For those with different perception and disordered learning might find it difficult to process information easily.

For writers: If you're planning to design your content in a way that is accessible for disabled students, you might want to look into accessible design methods. Examples of accessible design include making sure that words are spaced evenly, breaking long paragraphs into smaller ones, and ensuring enough white space.

    When perceived information is processed (encoded) the information is transferred to memory.    

Memory is a broad concept that encompasses a range of different aspects of cognition. It is the process of storing and storing data for a brief period (sensory and working memory) and then transferring that information into longer-term storage via consolidation (encoding).

Sensory memory lasts between half a second to three seconds. If you don't pay attention to the experience, the perception does not enter short-term memory. The research has shown that short-term memory stores approximately seven information items for an interval of between 15 and 30 seconds. Through practice, your brain is able to store this information until it is degraded or disappears.

In rehearsal, the brain goes through a process referred to as encoding, which leads the data to be transferred into long-term memory. When it is transferred to long-term memory and you are able to access your information anytime so long as you don't let it go through a process of decay or disturbance. Memory that is long-term can range from recollecting an event that you witnessed in the past few minutes up to the events that occurred many years ago. It can go back to your childhood.

The practice of rehearsing typically is used to facilitate rote learning in educational circumstances. We know that most learners find it difficult to master rote learning as well as not a good strategy to master complex concepts and abstract information.

The various kinds of long-term memory are:

1. Explicit memory - that which can be accessed to you consciously. If you are asked by someone what the capital of Great Britain is, you are able to claim it's London. Therefore, explicit memories are also described as declarative memories. Declarative memory can further be divided into:

• Memory that is episodic memories of particular events which occurred in your life. Examples include visiting the home of a close friend during childhood
• Memory that is semantic - The ability to remember things that you've learned about world, such as the date of declaring World War 2 (September 1 September 1939).

1. Implicit memory is stored as part of your long-term memory but relates to performance and movement. Examples include being able to swim and remembering how to drive your car after a long gap, and so on.

    Attention helps memory to last longer and improves the way you learn    

Though our sense organs absorb a lot of information but they aren't registered in our minds unless you take note of them. The information is stored only as "sensory memory" after perception, and last only a few seconds (between two and three seconds).

Attention here implies focussing your attention on a specific stimulus in the presence of different stimuli. An example is when you enter the café you prefer and choose the type of croissant you like, despite the presence of numerous other items on the menu.

Reinvoking the example of the busy street, your mind might have noticed the presence of different people. However, you may not have been paying enough attention to remember their faces. As a result, the data associated with their individual faces decayed, and is lost forever.

What happens to it? take place in the brain?

As an educator who creates, you might be wondering how your learning materials you teach to your students is processed in their brains. Baddeley as well as the Hitch Model of Working Memory provides a clear answer to this.

They've explained that the frontal region (a component of our brain) functions as a processor where information is encoded and retrieved. There are various types of memories stored in various parts of the brain. According to Hitch and Baddeley:

• Auditory information (information in the form of sound, mostly recognised as language, music, or other kinds of sound) is recorded in the sound loop known as the phonological loop.
• Phonological loop consists of the phonological storage, in which data is kept for a brief period of time, and the articulatory practice process, where the brain rehearses auditory information to be stored over a longer duration.
• The Visuospatial Sketch Pad is a part of the brain that stores visual and spatial information like shapes, patterns, images, etc.
• Episodic buffer is believed to increase the capacity of the mind to store, encode, and retrieve data by linking different brain regions that aid in information processing.

Let's now take what we've learned in the area of information processing in online learning environments.

Make your students be aware of your course's online content

When you are planning or creating modules, think about the process this way. If you do not create your videos or slides attractive enough, the pupils will not be interested and move onto the next. The students glance at the slide or video (sensation occurs) however they do not experience the content for long enough time to keep it in their short-term memory. Leave alone practicing it to become long-term storage it disappears completely from the sensorimotor memory. Thus, keeping their focus is crucial.

You need to factor in the possibility that your student may be daydreaming, distracted or even bored by your content. These factors can hinder the process of paying attention to what needs to be learned and stored in long-term memory. So, ensuring that you write content that sustains your students' attention is very important.

  This is what you can do:  

• Make them take a break every ten to fifteen minutes. Studies show human attention diminishes after fifteen minutes.
• Also, make your lesson plans to be divided into chunks of fifteen minutes or less. There is no need to develop tutorials or videos which last only 10 minutes. Instead, you should give your students small activities, games, or chillouts.
• Create more engaging online learning environments for learning. This is why we will discuss it in the future.

Basic information processing strategies for helping your students learn better.

When information is saved in short-term memory the information can transfer to memory that is long-term or be removed. Repeating and practicing are essential to keep data for long periods in the long-term memory. Therefore, it's essential to develop lesson plans so your students are given plenty of time to practise and re-experience what is stored in their working memory. The process should take place in a matter of minutes. Therefore, at the end of any short class that is only a couple of minutes long you should encourage students to go over, practice, or rehearse. This helps in ensuring that what they've learned will be stored in their long-term memory.

When something is saved in the long-term memory of your brain the information can be read at a later time, if you are prompted. But, the effectiveness of memory retrieval depends on the level of interest with which a student learned the subject (were sufficiently attentive and did your material interesting enough, etc. ).

As you can see from the above explanation that learning generally is a result of how we view information and the way we connect it to the things we know already, and that we must keep an eye on it.

But is it really all that easy?

The Limits of Information Processing Theory in online learning

Human beings aren't machines. While drawing parallels between the human brain and computers is appealing, they're not the same. Information Processing Theory doesn't discuss the importance of motivation or emotions in our perception of the world and recall information. Both are essential for learning and remembering what's been learned.

The idea is that the brain processes information in a linear manner -- information is interpreted, sensed and transformed (encoded), stored, and then returned. This is known as serial processing. It is the same thing that computers perform.

But, the brain is able of processing parallel this means that it is able to simultaneously process various kinds of information. The multitasking ability of the human brain does do not correspond to what a computer can do. So, while the theory of information processing accurately defines how we perceive how we perceive, process and store data, it fails to consider the emotional aspect as well as the way that our brain works.

The students you teach have thoughts as well as desires and motives you may or may not recognize while designing the content of your class. Hence, it is essential to realize that you are teaching human students and not computer-generated students. One of the easiest ways to solve this issue is to develop educational environments online that are engaging.

Let's take a examine ways to add motivation, emotions and engagement with others to your mix, and make use of information processing theory even better to create that perfect online course.

Strategies for making more efficient the use of theory about information processing to facilitate online learning

    Inspire your students pay attention    

What is the point of learning something when they do not want to? They must have an innate determination or desire to enroll for your course, and be motivated to finish.

Motivation drives them to focus on the material in your class, which results in improved processing of information (encoding) and better information retrieval abilities. Also, if your student doesn't have the motivation to study, the best course might not register in their mind.

The role of motivation is crucial in information processing as well. One needs to be motivated to pay attention to the external environment.

• Your responsibility as a creator educator is to sustain that drive.
• Be aware that motivation cannot exist in an empty space. It is essential to feel valued, receive positive feedback, and feel socially accepted to be motivated to continue in doing what they are good at. Did you recall your buddies motivating you when you were feeling low or wanted to become better at certain things? This applies to studying as well.

The interpersonal and motivational aspects are interconnected. Let's look at how this is played out in the social information processing theory.

    Encourage social interaction during learning    

Despite the fact that one-to-one training is efficient, people learn better when they are working in groups. This is the reason why traditional learning usually takes place in groups or classrooms because studying with others can be more enjoyable (and effective).

Social information processing theory partially explains the way people interact with one other on computer mediated platforms for example, an online platform for learning.

Humans also learn by modeling and observation, that is, they mimic what others do. In this case, you, the creator educator, take on the role of role model and the students imitate your behavior. Albert Bandura, a famous psychologist, noted that learning takes place in interpersonal contexts, and that we cannot eliminate "social" aspects of learning.

With this thought in mind, it is essential to

• Create online group activities
• Inspire students to engage in websites, and also to share their expertise.
• Consider collaboration as well as social media engagement essential parts of your curriculum plan.
• Make use of social tools for exchanging ideas that can be used as a type of practice
• Encourage positive feedback from peers (other students) to provide positive reinforcement. In order to do this, you can have your students evaluate each other's work positively.

    Use particular cognitive strategies that are geared towards achieving your goals.    

They are generally focused on a specific task. That means that you should encourage your students to work with the material directly. Some of the cognitive strategies that can be used in online learning are notes-taking, repetition, context understanding, as well as Mnemonics. (A Mnemonic is a technique that allows you to recall or retrieve information from your memory)

As an example, VIBGYOR can be an abbreviation used to describe the seven rainbow colors which are: violet, indigo blue green, yellow red, and orange. Other than acronyms, there are other kinds of mnemonics too like flashcards, classifying items into categories or categories, etc. All of them can help students recall what they've learnt quickly.

    Help with high-level information processing by using metacognitive strategies    

Some researchers have also suggested the existence of something known as "metacognition," which means "thinking about being thinking." When you practice in rehearsal and try to recollect the things you've forgotten or engage in techniques that assist others in learning or remember (such in teaching using a goal), you are engaging with a metacognitive form.

The year 1987 was the year that A.L. Brown began to discuss metacognition for learning. Through the years the topic has evolved quite a bit.

in Online classes Here are a few of the best metacognitive strategies:

• Advance organizers: Help your students to reflect on your lesson plan by sharing course calendars in advance. It helps them anticipate what they can expect, and to connect the information with what they have already learned.
• Self-planning: Ask your students to plan their work and the way they will structure them. It gives them the opportunity to "think about what they are doing" - metacognition.
• Self-monitoring: Student self-rating scales provide a fantastic method of determining the areas where students require assistance. Develop online forms to assist students monitor their progress at the conclusion of each session or week, at your convenience.
• Self-evaluation: This could be periodically or even at the conclusion of the class. Because online courses are mainly attended by self-motivated people so it's important students see the positive results.

In addition to self-evaluation, associations can also be used to assist students in learning and retain what they have learned. In order to make this method more efficient, you need to understand what your students already are aware of. So,

• Before enlisting someone in a course, assess the level of their knowledge in order to determine if they're the right fit.
• If they're not and you are launching an introduction course, make sure that you develop your material in a way that students can connect the lessons you offer to things they are already familiar with. This means you will have assist them with the process of encoding.

There may be a need to implement methods such as image, chunking and elaboration.

• Divide your lessons into smaller parts with engaging questions and online debates. You can also use Q&As, and peer support to keep your students entertained.
• Encourage your students to form associations with their previous knowledge through presenting information in a way that is easily understood. This helps with using imagery to help students learn and retain information.
• Additionally, the online course must encourage the student to engage with the material in a way that is engaging. This method, which is also referred to as elaboration is vital to engage students and to form connections with their existing skills to acquire new knowledge.

Although these are all cognitive and metacognitive methods, it is impossible to ignore the role of motivation, emotions as well as social learning theories.

    Include social interactions and emotional expression in the mix    

Most of your students register for the course due to their inability to physically attend your classes due to different reasons. Online learning platforms offer an alternative to in-person learning, and can increase engagement in many cases. However, it is essential to keep the online learning experience lively and engaging. It is essential to employ social-affective methods, which require interpersonal communication and emotions. Please note "affect" is a reference to emotions.

Here's how to accomplish this:

• You should be able to inspire your students to gain knowledge through modeling. Inspire feelings of curiosity, excitement, satisfaction and joy. excitement, surprise, etc. It is pretty easy to create these types of emotions among your students.
• Gamification can help your students feel satisfied and content as they complete some levels of achievement.
• Giving them badges, certificates, or other forms of positive reinforcement can assist in bringing joy into your life.
• If you give an unexpected discount to an academically successful student, you combine joy with surprise, which makes them more motivated to learn.
• Polling can be used to develop games and tests at the end of every fifteen minutes in order to keep students interested and help them share the lessons they've learned in forums.
• Since children are becoming more comfortable with using social media It makes sense to include social media in learning as well.

Humanize the theory of information processing in order to develop online courses with a human touch

The theory of information processing helps to better understand how we organize and learn new information through our sense organs as well as our brain. Although this model is accurate as regards how sensation and perception work, it does not describe social learning, nor the functions of motivation or emotions.

Furthermore, the human brain is incredibly complex and cannot be reduced to how the computer functions. In your role as creator educators, it is important to be aware of your students' inherent desires and feelings in mind. Through creating a stimulating online learning space and recognizing human limitations, you can develop a successful online course that will leave a lasting impression on your pupils.

It gives you a variety of tools to help you create content for your course that's engaging and social. It assists you in creating courses that are based on information processing techniques, yet acknowledges the fact that students are thought and expressing human beings who like to interact with each other while they learn. It offers powerful social engagement features which make it easy for you to create classes for groups and promote lively discussions among your students.

Humanizing online learning allows you to connect to your students' minds in an engaging manner. If you want to know more about how could help you develop course modules rooted in psychology, get in touch with us today.