1. Module 11
Information Processing
Group 2: Allie Hymas, Anna Goode, Heather Durney, Kiyo Olive & Sammie Martin

2. Information Processing Theory
These theories focus on internal mental process that occur as opposed to external behaviors.
The mind takes in information, performs operations to change its form, stores it, and retrieves it when needed.
The three major categories of these functions are:
Sensory Memory
Working (or Short Term) Memory
Long-Term Memory
3. Sensory Memory
Sensory Memory takes in information exactly how we sense it, but doesn't leave much time for processing and creating knowledge from it.
Humans usually respond to 6 different stimuli with particular attention:
1. Size: large things2. Intensity: Bright and Loud stimuli3. Novelty: new and unusual things4. Incongruity: things that don't make sense within a given context5. Emotion: stimuli with strong emotional attachments6. Personal significance: stimuli personally important to us
4. http://www.eyecanlearn.com/elves_%20memory.htm
5. Working memory
Once we pay attention to a stimulus, we transfer this information to our working memory, where the information is put to use.
Central executive-acts as a supervisor, deems what is important and what strategies to use to process information
Working memory holds five to nine chunks of data at time.
Working memory can include processes that are outside its conscious awareness, some information is more readily available than others, and our capacity for storing information in working memory varies.
6. 7. Working memory
Information in working memory is typically lost within 5 to 20 seconds, but it stays longer if we are constantly using it.
Automatic and effortful processing
Mnemonic devices
Chunking: Grouping individual bits of information in meaningful way
Girl, cat, pants, apple, pizza, swimming pool, ball, computer, moon, cow, jungle
Couch, apple, chair, mom, dad, table, orange, lamp, sister, grapes, brother, rug
8. 9. Long term memory
Types of Knowledge
Explicit: information we are consciously aware of such as facts learned at school
Implicit: information we are not aware of such as routines and procedures
How to drink out of a big kid cup?
10. Long term memory
How memories are stored
Network Theory: Information is stored in propositions; you can find multiple propositions within a single thought
Schema Theory: Information is stored in preexisting frameworks
Why do we sometimes have a harder time remembering things that are important than we do remembering things that are not as important?
11. Long term memory
Forget it?
Encoding Failure: the information never made it to the long-term memory
Storage Decay: we lose information very quickly at first but the curve levels off
Retrieval Failure: we know we learned the information, but cant remember exactly what it was
12. Do you see the three faces?
13. Individual Differences in Information Processing
Sensory information processing:
Younger children process information more slowly than older children
Selective attention increases with age, the older the better we are at focusing
Girls may have advantage over boys at remembering items on list
Working information processing:
Young children have less working memory capacity than older children, developmental differences
Older individuals process information faster and therefore can retrieve before it decays
Young children may be learning information for the first time
The more types of knowledge you gain the better you can understand, organize, retain new information
14. Differences in strategy use
Automaticity: The ability to respond quickly and efficiently while mentally processing or physically performing a task.
Examples: flashcards and practice, practice, practice!
15. 16. Application to teaching
1. Plan for attention (level)
2. Use attention signals
3. Keep students attention engaged
4. Respect attentional limits
17. Application to teaching
Helping students store and retrieve information effectively:
Organization
Conceptual Understanding
Task analysis
Relevance
Automaticity
Acquisition of Procedural knowledge