The computer provided a concrete metaphor for human information processing and, thus, a language for describing it.This may occur in a conscious, strategic fashion or in an unconscious, automatic way. For example, the mental representation one forms of a sentence s/he reads is determined both by the information itself (data-driven, bottom-up processing) and by one's prior knowledge (conceptually driven, top-down processing).Īdditionally, in some way, an executive monitor keeps track of the information flow and makes decisions about processing priorities. However, processing doesn't really occur in the unidirectional, linear way implied by the diagram. Information is transformed or processed as it passes from one stage of memory to the next. LTM represents our permanent storehouse of information, capable of retaining an unlimited amount and variety of information.Working memory holds information for a limited amount of time and holds a limited amount of information. STM functions as a temporary working memory, whereby further processing is carried out to make information ready for long-term storage or for a response.Sensory memory holds information associated with the senses (e.g., vision, hearing) just long enough for the information to be processed further (mere seconds).Pay attention not only to the basic components or memory stages:īut also to the processes that keep information 'alive' or help transfer it from one memory stage to the next:ĬIP Definitions and Explanations The Components of Memoryįigure 1 above displays the three basic components of CIP's proposed memory system-sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM)-along with the processes assumed to be responsible for transferring information from one stage to the next.īrief descriptions of the three stages of memory follow: Get familiar with Figure 1 and think deeply about the flow of information it represents. CIP theory focuses on what happens in between input and output, i.e., on information processing. This theory uses the computer metaphor with its inputs and outputs. CIP's Memory Model Figure 1: How Information Flows According to CIP Theory.Īt the heart of CIP theory is its proposed memory system. Thus, learners are viewed as active seekers and processors of information. encode information to be learned and relate it to knowledge in memory,.Schunk (1996) offers the following helpful summary/definition: Information processing theories focus on how people: Expert Learners: Cognitive Information Processing Theory Summary of Cognitive Information ProcessingĬognitive information processing (CIP) theory is often referred to as simply 'information processing.' Information processing is not really the name of a single theory it is a generic name applied to various theoretical perspectives dealing with the sequence and execution of cognitive events.

Information processing model