Information Processing Theory and Approach

Are you aware of the intricate neuro-psychological process behind how your students (or anyone else) learns new ideas and information? That's the question that the information processing theory seeks to understand. It dives into the intricate mechanism of perceiving, recording and processing data in our brains. It also retrieves it whenever needed.

Learn more about the theories as well as ways to implement it into online courses to help your students. We'll start by taking a short review of how it all started.

Skip ahead:

•    Brief history of Information Processing Theory
•    The fundamental concepts from Information Processing Theory
•    What happens to it? happen within the brain?
•    Make your students be aware of your online course content
•    Basic information processing strategies that will help students to remember better.
•    Limitations of Information Processing Theory in online learning
•    Strategies for making more efficient the use of theory about information processing to facilitate online learning
•    Humanize information processing theory to create relatable online courses

Brief history of Information Processing Theory

Back in the 1950s, scientists realized that computers were the most important clue to understanding the way that human brains work. George Armitage Miller and Edward C. Tolman established the basics of how humans operate with short-term memory and learn things. Based on this fundamental design, two popular theories of theory on information processing eventually emerged namely that of the Atkinson and Shiffrin Model and the Baddeley and Hitch Model of Working Memory.

The Atkinson and Shiffrin Model discusses the three phases 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 data being stored in the long term memory. It is based on the Baddeley and Hitch Model of Working Memory builds on these theories and explains the process of processing language as well as spatial patterns.

Do you have a lot of psychological terminology? Don't worry! We have combined aspects of all these theories to provide you with the information needed to understand how we humans process information. We can begin to understand this by exploring how humans process information in everyday situations, and examining each of these functions in depth.

Key concepts from Information Processing Theory

As a creator educator, it's extremely helpful to understand aspects of information processing.

Let's take one example

Imagine walking down an area that is crowded and encounter a myriad of sights, sounds, and odors. People may also rub against your shoulders if you are unfortunate enough to encounter large crowds. To avoid this hustle and bustle, you decide to walk into a cafe that you know is calm and quiet. You also be aware that they offer the finest coffee and croissants in the area of town.

It's information processing theory at work, actually in the real world. Let's look at how:

1. You sense various stimuli (people strolling around, someone brushing against your shoulder, a car moving at a high speed, etc. - sensation. The term "stimulus" refers to an external input or information)
2. The place you see is perceived as crowded (perception is how we perceive what we perceive).
3. Through your experiences in the past (long term episodic memory) and you are able to identify this situation to be unsafe and uncomfortable (being pushed around - previous association)
4. Hence, you recall an area that previously given you solace (another chain of associations results in retrieving details about the tranquil cafe as well as its croissants, which is a form of the semantic memory).
5. You act on this memory, and walk into the cafe (judging/analyzing before making a final decision. Moving towards the cafe can be a procedural memory).

    First, you sense your environment    

Human beings acquire information called "stimulus" through the five senses: smell visual, touch, auditory (hearing) as well as taste. A sixth sense, which relates to the body's position as well as movement and balance the vestibular sense is present.

Senses and the associated sense organs:

• Vision Eyes
• Audio - Ears
• Touch - Skin
• Taste - Tongue
• Smell - nose
• Vestibular sense, ear and various parts of the nervous system.

If your sense organs transform actual information into electrical data, your brain processes them and interprets them as information that you can recognize on an unconscious level. What you perceive is influenced by past connections (similar information stored in your brain that can be recalled and make connections).

Notice to creators: Unless you are using augmented reality or virtual reality for the content of your lessons I would suggest that you primarily employ inputs (stimuli) related to vision (reading texts or watching videos) and music (voice as background music).

    Sensing leads to perception.

Every one of the sense organs reacts to different environmental stimuli and converts these signals into electrical signals, which can be detected by different parts of the brain. The process of sensing takes place inside the organs that sense, and perception takes place in the brain. Individuals with diverse perceptual or disordered learning might find it difficult to process information easily.

Attention to writers: If you're planning to design your content in a way that is accessible for disabled students, you might want to think about accessible design principles. Examples of accessible design are avoiding uneven spacing of words or paragraphs, breaking lengthy ones into shorter paragraphs and making sure there is enough white space.

    The information that is perceived has been processed (encoded), it enters memory.    

Memory is an umbrella concept that encompasses a range of different aspects of cognition. It begins with retaining the information for a period of time (sensory as well as working memory) and then transferring that information into long-term storage by consolidating (encoding).

Sensory memory lasts between one and three seconds. If you ignore the sensation, 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. When you practice it, your brain will be able to retain the information until it is degraded or gets lost.

In rehearsal, the brain goes through a process referred to as Encoding. This process causes information to be transferred to long-term memory. When it is transferred to long-term memory and you are able to access the data at any point provided you do not let it fade or expose it to disturbance. The term "long-term memory" can refer to what you saw a few minutes ago to what happened many years ago -- dating all the way back to childhood.

A note for the creators of your work: Rehearsal can be viewed as rote learning within pedagogical circumstances. But we know that most students are not able to grasp the concept of rote-learning as well as not such a great strategy for learning complex ideas or abstract knowledge.

The various kinds of long-term memory are:

1. Explicit memory - that which is available consciously. If you are asked by someone what the capital of Great Britain is, you will easily be able to declare it is London. Therefore explicit memories are known as declarative memory. Declarative memory can further be broken down into

• The episodic memory memories of specific events which occurred in your life. Examples include visiting the home of a close friend during childhood
• Semantic memory is the ability to keep in mind things that you have learned about the world. This includes the day of declaring World War 2 (September 1 September 1939).

1. Implicit memory: It's stored in your long-term memory but relates to your performance, movement. For instance, it is possible to swim and remembering how to drive a vehicle after a long gap, or any other.

    Attention helps memory to last longer and learn better    

While our sense organs are able to receive a lot of information however, they do not register within our brains unless we are paying attention to them. They are stored in "sensory memory," after perception, and last only a few seconds (between two and 3 seconds).

Attention here implies focussing your attention to a certain stimuli in the absence of other stimulus. For instance, you go to the cafe that you like and decide to order the croissant you want even though there are many other things available.

Recalling the instance of the crowded street, your brain could have recognized the presence of various individuals. However, you may have not paid attention enough to keep their faces in mind. This is why the information related to the faces of each individual has deteriorated and is lost forever.

What happens to it? take place within the brain?

As an educator who creates, you may wonder how all information you provide to students gets stored in their brains. Baddeley as well as the Hitch Model of Working Memory provides a clear answer.

The frontal brain lobe (a component that is located in the brain) is the brain's processor that encodes information and later retrieved. The various kinds of memories are stored in various parts of the brain. According to Baddeley and Hitch:

• Information about the auditory system (information in the form of sounds, usually referred to as music, language or a variety of other sounds) is recorded in the Phonological Loop.
• Phonological loop consists of an phonological database, where information is stored for a limited time and the articulatory practice process, where the brain rehearses auditory signals to be saved for a long period of time.
• Visuospatial sketchpad is the part of the brain which stores images and spatial information such as shapes, designs and images.
• Episodic buffer is thought to enhance the ability of the brain to encode, store, and retrieve information by connecting various parts of the brain to aid in the processing of information.

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

Make your students pay attention to your course's online content

If you're planning or creating modules, you should think of it in this manner. If you do not make your slides or videos attractive enough, the students will ignore them and go onto the next. The students take a look at the slide video (sensation occurs) but don't take in it for the length of time needed to retain it in their short-term memory. Let them practice the skill to be stored in long-term memory - the information is erased from their memories of sensory. Thus, keeping their focus is crucial.

Consider the fact that your child may be daydreaming, distracted from your content. These factors can hinder the process of paying attention to the information that needs to be absorbed and stored in long-term memory. Therefore, making sure you produce materials that keep your students' attention is crucial.

  This is what you can do:  

• Encourage them to take a break every 10 to 15 minutes. Studies show human attention diminishes within 15 minutes.
• Also, make your lesson plans to be broken down into segments with a minimum of 15 minutes. It is not necessary to create tutorials or videos that last just ten minutes. Instead, you should offer your students little games, activities or chillout sessions.
• Make online learning more interactive environments for learning. This is why we will discuss it in the future.

Fundamental information processing techniques for helping your students learn better.

Once information is stored in the short-term memory of your brain, it can either be shifted to long-term memory or get erased. Repetition and practice are essential to keep data for long periods in the long-term memory. Hence, it is crucial to create lesson plans in order your students are given plenty of time to practise and repeat what gets retained in their working memory. The process should take place in a matter of 30 minutes. Thus, at the close of each short lesson that takes a short amount of time and encourage your pupils to practice, repeat the lesson and rehearse. The process of rotation helps to ensure that the information they've processed gets stored in long-term memory.

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

It is evident from the previous description that learning occurs due to the way we perceive information, and how we relate it to the things we know already, and that we must pay attention.

Is it actually so simple?

The Limits of Information Processing Theory in online learning

Human beings aren't computers. Though drawing comparisons between the human brain and the computer is tempting but they're different. Information Processing Theory doesn't discuss the role of motivation and emotions in the way we process information and remember things. Both are crucial in learning and retaining the information we've learned.

The theory assumes that brains process information linearly -- that information is interpreted, sensed and processed (encoded), stored, and later recovered. This is referred to as serial processing. It is the same thing that computers are able to do.

The brain, however, is capable of parallel processing this means that it is able to concurrently process various types of information. The ability to multitask of the human brain does not compare to what computers is able to do. So, while the theory of information processing accurately defines how we perceive, perceive, process, and save data, it fails to consider the emotional aspect and the non-linear manner that our brain works.

Your students have feelings, desires, and motivations that you might or may not have considered when creating your course content. Hence, it is essential to understand that you're teaching human students and not computer-generated students. The easiest way to fix the issue is to create online learning environments that are engaging.

We'll now look at how you can add motivation, emotions and social engagement to your mix, and make use of the theory of information processing to create that perfect online course.

Strategies to make the theory of information processing work better to facilitate online learning

    Inspire your students be attentive    

How can someone be a student if they don't want to? You must be able to sense an intrinsic determination or desire to enroll to take your class, and remain motivated to complete.

Motivation drives them to pay attention to your course material which results in improved processing of information (encoding), and superior capabilities for retrieving information. Also, if your student is not motivated to be a learner, then even an excellent course may not be recognized in their brains.

The role of motivation is crucial in information processing as well. It is essential to be able to be attentive to external stimuli.

• Your role as an teacher creator is to sustain this drive.
• Always remember, motivation is not an empty space. It is essential to feel valued and receive feedback that is positive and be accepted by others to be motivated to continue doing something. Do you remember your peers who encouraged you to do something when you were feeling low or needed to improve in something? The same is true for studying as well.

The interpersonal and motivational aspects have a lot in common. Let's look at how this plays out within the theory of social information processing.

    Encourage social interaction during learning    

While one-to-one teaching is effective, humans benefit from learning when they are in a group. This is why traditional learning usually takes place in classes or with groups, since learning with others is much more fun (and effective).

Social Information Processing Theory is a part of the explanation for how individuals communicate with each with each other through computers like an online learning platform.

Humans also learn through models and observation, that means, imitating what others do. In this case, you as the educator who created it take on the role of being a model, and your students imitate your behavior. Albert Bandura, a famous psychologist, observed that learning usually takes place within social contexts and we can't take away "social" from the process of learning.

In this regard it is vital for you to

• Create online group activities
• Inspire students to engage with each other on forums and to share their expertise.
• Make collaboration and social media participation essential components of your curriculum design.
• Make use of social tools for sharing ideas, that can be used as a type of practice
• Get positive feedback from your peers (other students) which acts as a encouragement. In order to do this, you can ask your students to evaluate each other's work positively.

    Use specific cognitive strategies for achieving goals    

Cognitive strategies are usually focused on a specific task. That means that you should make sure that your students are working on the subject directly. The cognitive strategies that can be used in online learning are not taking notes, repetition, contextual understanding, as well as the use of mnemonics. (A Mnemonic is a technique that helps you recall or access information stored in your memory)

As an example, VIBGYOR can be an abbreviation that refers to the seven rainbow colors: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, red, and orange. Other than acronyms, there are many other kinds of mnemonics too including flashcards, categorizing items into different categories, etc. All of them can help your students to recall what they've learnt quickly.

    Facilitate high-level processing of information by using metacognitive strategies    

Some researchers have also suggested the existence of something known as "metacognition," which means "thinking about being thinking." In practice as you practice and try to recollect the things you've forgotten or use techniques that actively help others to learn or remember (such as teaching to achieve a specific goal) You are participating with a metacognitive form.

In 1987, A.L. Brown started a discussion about metacognition techniques for learning. Through the years, it has developed quite a bit.

Within an online classes, here are some of the best metacognitive strategies:

• Advance organizers: Encourage your students to reflect on your lesson plan through sharing calendars of class ahead of time. This helps your students to anticipate what they can expect, and connect it with information they have already learned.
• Self-planning: Ask your students to plan their work and the way they will structure them. This gives them extra room to "think about what they're doing" Metacognition.
• Self-monitoring by students: Scales for self-rating can be a great means of understanding what areas your students may require help. Develop online forms to assist students monitor their progress at the conclusion of each session or week, at your preferences.
• Self-evaluation: This could be periodically or even at the conclusion of the class. As online courses are mostly used by people who are self-motivated so it's important they get outcomes.

In addition to self-evaluation, you could also use associations to assist students in learning and remember what they learn. To make this process more efficient, you need to know what your students already have learned. So,

• Before enrolling someone into an educational program, evaluate the level of their knowledge in order to ascertain if they are an appropriate fit.
• If they are not, when you launch an introduction course be sure to develop your material so that they can relate your course to something they are already familiar with. It means you have assist them with the process of encoding.

You may need to use methods like images, chunking, or the elaboration.

• Divide your lessons into smaller pieces with engaging questions and online debates. You can also use Q&As and support for peers to keep students interested.
• Instruct your students to make connections with the previous information through presenting information in a manner that's simple to comprehend. This can help them use imagery for learning and retaining.
• Additionally, the online course will require the students to take the course actively. The process of elaboration, sometimes referred to as elaboration, is essential to engage students and form associations with existing information to gain new knowledge.

Although these are all cognitive and metacognitive strategies, you cannot ignore the importance of motivational, emotional, and social learning theories.

    Include social interactions and emotional expression in the mix    

The majority of students enroll in your course because they cannot physically attend your classes due to different reasons. Online learning environments offer an alternative to in-person learning as well as a better level of involvement in a lot of cases. However, it is essential to keep your online learning environment lively and exciting. One of the most important factors is using socio-affective strategies, which involve interpersonal communication and emotions. Please note "affect" refers to feelings.

Here's how to do this:

• Be relatable for your students and help them learn by modelling. Inspire feelings of curiosity, excitement, satisfaction happiness, contentment, delight, and so on. It is pretty easy to provoke these emotions in your students.
• Gaming can make your students feel satisfied and content when they achieve specific levels of satisfaction.
• Offering them certificates, badges or any other form of positive reinforcement can assist in bringing joy into your life.
• If you give an unexpected discount to a well-performing student, you combine joy and surprise. This makes students more eager to study.
• Use polling to create tests and games each 15 minutes to keep students interested and encourage them to share their knowledge through forums.
• Because children are increasingly comfortable to social media so it is logical to incorporate social media in the classroom as well.

Humanize information processing theory to make online courses that are relatable

Information processing theory helps us to understand how we store and learn new information through our sense organs as well as the brain. While this theory is correct in terms of how sensation & perception, and memory operate, it fails to provide a complete explanation of social learning or the role of motivation as well as emotions.

Moreover, the human mind is very complex and cannot be boiled down to the way a computers function. In your role as instructors, it's essential to maintain the students' natural thoughts and desires in their minds. In creating a fun online learning experience and taking into consideration human limitations, you can create a course online that is successful which leaves an impression on the learners.

gives you various tools to create course content that's engaging and social. It allows you to create courses that are based on information processing models, but recognizes the fact that students are thought and emotional human beings who want to connect with each other while they learn. It provides powerful social engagement features which make it easy to develop group learning modules and encourage active discussions with your students.

By humanizing online learning, allows you to connect to your students' minds through a fun and engaging way. To learn more about how it can assist you in creating educational modules that draw on the principles of the field of psychology, please contact us today.