The Information Processing Model in Cognitive Psychology

The Information Processing Model helps us understand how our brains handle information. Here are the main parts of this model:

1. Input: This is all the information we get from our surroundings.

   • Studies say we take in about 11 million pieces of information every second!
   • But, we only pay attention to about 40-50 bits of that at a time.

2. Encoding: This is the step where we change the sensory information into a format our brains can use and remember.

   • Research shows that if we use smart strategies to encode information, like breaking it down into smaller pieces (called chunking), we can remember it much better—by 200-500%!

3. Storage: Once we have encoded the information, we store it in our memory.

   • There are three types of memory storage:

     • Sensory Memory: This only lasts a few seconds and helps us remember quick impressions.

     • Short-term Memory: This holds information for about 15-30 seconds. It can usually keep around 7 items, plus or minus 2 (which comes from a study by George A. Miller).

     • Long-term Memory: This can keep a lot of information for a long time, sometimes forever, but it might get harder to remember things as time passes.

4. Retrieval: This is how we get information back when we need it.

   • Studies show that certain hints or cues can help us remember better, making it easier to retrieve information—sometimes improving our recall by up to 300%!

This model helps us see how we process information in steps. It shows how our minds work to understand and react to what we experience around us.