this presentation is about information processing theory

1. EDU 558: Fundamentals of Human Development
and Educational Psychology
Week 10 Lecture 1
What to talk about today?
 INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY

2. Main Theorists
 Herbert Simon (1962)
 David Klahr, Iain Wallace (1976),
 Robert Gagne,1985)

3. Information Processing Theory of
Learning
Is a theory that explains how people
perceive, remember, and store the massive
amounts of information they are subjected
to everyday.
Process of human learning – compared to the
way that a computer processes and stores
information (Gagne, 1985)
Is a cognitive theory.

4. The process of human learning is
similar to the way a computer
processes information.

7. Human Memory
Sensory
Memory
Short-Term
Memory
Working
Memory
Long-Term
Memory
Receives
data
Holds data
Processes
data
Stores data
Computer Operations
Basic input
of data
Input of data
into
applications
Manipulation
of data
Storage of
altered
data

8. In COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY- memory
is usually divided into three storage
systems:
1.SENSORY MEMORY
2.SHORT-TERM MEMORY
3.LONG-TERM MEMORY

9. 1. SENSORY MEMORY
• Sensory Memory: Information received
through a person’s senses, is first
received at the sensory register
• It has unlimited capacity
• The sensory memory retains an exact copy
of what is seen or heard (visual and
auditory).

10. Implication of effective
sensory input for teachers.
 The senses must be fully operational.
 Teachers cannot presume that what we as teachers
perceive is what students also perceive.
 Identify the students’ sense disabilities and take
corrective measures.
 Develop teaching styles and learning materials that
matches all senses.
 Make salient features of the learning stimuli
prominent so that learners can attend to the
correct cues.

11. What do you see in
this picture?
Focus on the
black. What do
you see?

12. 2. Short-term Memory
 STM is most often stored as sounds, especially in recalling
words, but may be stored as images.
 Has a limited capacity of up to seven pieces of independent
information
 The brief duration of these items last from 3 to 20 seconds.
 Selective attention determines what information moves from
sensory memory to short-term memory.
 It works basically the same as a computer’s RAM (Random
Access Memory) in that it provides a working space for short
computations and then transfers it to other parts of the
memory system or discards it.

13. Strategies to keep information in
short term memory
1. Maintenance rehearsal – repeating
information over and over without altering it.
2. Elaborative rehearsal – remembering
information by connecting it to prior
knowledge.
Give an example of each?

14. Three basic operations in the STM
 After entering sensory memory, a limited amount of information
is transferred into short-term memory. Within STM, there are
three basic operations:
1. Iconic memory - The ability to hold visual images.
2. Acoustic memory - The ability to hold sounds. Acoustic
memory can be held longer than iconic memory.
3. Working memory - An active process to keep it until it is put to use
(think of a phone number you'll repeat to yourself until you can dial it
on the phone). Note that the goal is not really to move the information
from STM to LTM, but merely put the information to immediate use.

15. Working memory
 Working memory is where information is
processed and "problem solving" occurs; the
working memory usually processes things for a
short period of time (3-20 sec.)
 The working memory will process
information for longer periods of time if the
person is actively concentrating on the
information.
RESEARCH QUESTION - IMPLICATION ON OUR
TEACHING?

16. 3. Long-Term Memory
 Relatively permanent storage
 Information is stored on the basis of
meaning and importance.
 Long-term memory is where the
information remembered over time is kept

17. ENCODING
 ENCODING- The process of transferring information from STM
to LTM
 This is not a function of time, that is, the longer a memory stayed
in STM, the more likely it was to be placed into LTM; but on
organizing complex information in STM before it can be encoded
into LTM.
 In this process of organization, the meaningfulness or emotional
content of an item may play a greater role in its retention into
LTM.
As TEACHERS, we must find ways to make learning relevant
and meaningful enough for the learner to make the
important transfer of information to long-term memory.

19. How does memory move
through the memory banks?
 There are many things that cause information to
move through these memory banks. (Se-ST-W-LT)
The information moves using 4 processes:
a. attention
b. rehearsal
c. organization,
d. elaboration (to be discussed during the tutorials)
 Without all of these processes a person would not
be able to perceive, understand, use, and
remember the information they are given everyday.

20. Chunking
Chunking - a significant aid for enhancing the STM transfer
to LTM.
Remember, STM's capacity is limited to about seven items,
regardless of the complexity of those items. Chunking
allows the brain to automatically group certain items
together, hence the ability to remember and learn better.
Eg phone numbers
932, 81, 45

21. Students Activity
GROUP A
Table dog banana
Chair cat apple
Rat orange desk

22. Organisation
Table dog banana
Chair cat apple
Desk rat orange

23. Prior Knowledge
 Our prior knowledge of pictures and faces allow us
to see a "face" in the word "Liar":

24. SCHEMAS- Mental models of
the world
 Information in LTM is stored in interrelated networks of these schemas.
 These, in turn, form intricate knowledge structures.
 Related schema are linked together, and information that activates one
schema also activates others that are closely linked.
 This is how we recall relevant knowledge when similar information is
presented. These schemas guide us by diverting our attention to relevant
information and allow us to disregard what is not important.

25. Note for Teachers
 Since LTM storage is organized into schemas,
teachers should activate existing schemas (prior
knowledge) before presenting new information.
This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Curiosity - arousing questions
- Picture/diagram interpretation

26. IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING
 It is important to present all the necessary lower-level facts
before proceeding to teach at higher levels of the knowledge
hierarchy. (K, C, Ap, An, Ev, Sy)
 People can reason with higher-level concepts if they have
learned all of the prerequisite lower-level information.
 It is important to use teaching steps which correspond to the
internal sequence in which the brain processes information

27. Conclusion
 Information Processing Theory of Learning that explains how
people perceive, remember, and store the massive amounts of
information they are subjected to everyday.
 Process of human learning – compared to the way that a computer
processes and stores information (Gagne, 1985)
 Is a cognitive theory.
 Sensory memory
 STM
 LTM
 Implications - teaching steps which correspond to the internal
sequence in which the brain processes information

28. Tutorial Questions
 1. Discuss how you will apply the Information Processing
Theory to the teaching-learning process.
 Discuss how the three main stages of memory work
together to form memory.
 Explain what happens in each of the main stages of
human memory and how they compare with the
computer operations.
 Describe the three basic operations within the Short-
Term Memory and how these operations can be used in
the classrooms.

29. Test 1 – Week 9
REMINDER
 If for some genuine reason, you were not able to sit for
the Test on Thursday (11/04/24), please inform your
Tutors.