What Is Information Processing Theory?

Information processing is a series of steps that explain how the brain acquires,
processes, and stores information. Information processing theory (also
sometimes known as information processing model) is a theory that tries to explain
how the brain processes information and creates memories. This theory states that
the brain is very similar to a computer in the way it processes information. Just like
a computer, the human brain receives various types of information and can store
this information. Also, just like a computer, the human brain can retrieve this
information when it is needed.
Information processing theory can be used in psychology to help understand the
thoughts and behaviors of people. For example, the information processing
approach can help understand motivational and emotional factors that could
impact a person's behaviors and actions
Information processing theory tries to explain how the brain processes
information, and this theory states the brain is very similar to a computer in the
way it processes information.

History of Information Processing Theory

Developed by American psychologists including George Miller in the 1950s, Information
Processing Theory has in recent years compared the human brain to a computer. The
‘input’ is the information we give to the computer – or to our brains – while the CPU is
likened to our short-term memory, and the hard-drive is our long-term memory.

Our cognitive processes filter information, deciding what is important enough to ‘save’
from our sensory memory to our short-term memory, and ultimately to encode into our
long-term memory.  Our cognitive processes include thinking, perception, remembering,
recognition, logical reasoning, imagining, problem-solving, our sense of judgment, and
planning.

Stages of Information Processing

According to the information processing theory, there are four main stages of
information processing which include attending, encoding, storing, and retrieving.
These four stages are used to describe how the brain gathers information,

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processes this information, creates memories, and uses this information when it is
needed.

 Attending is the first stage of information processing, and it refers to when a

person is gathering information from their environment. For example, when
a student is listening to their professor giving a lecture, they are in the
attending stage of information processing. People can also gather
information using their other senses such as sight and smell.

 Encoding is the second stage of information processing, and it refers to a

person focusing and trying to truly understand something. Encoding is more
involved than attending. For example, a student can simply listen to their
professor (i.e., attending), but if they are not focusing on what the professor
has to say and trying to understand the information, they will not likely learn
the information. However, if a student really focuses on the professor during
the lecture and tries to truly understand the information, they are in the
encoding phase of information processing.
 Storing is the third stage of information processing, and it refers to keeping
or maintaining information in the brain for an extended period. The storing
phase can be thought of as keeping information in a person's ''memory
bank''. For example, a student who can attend and encode information they
receive during a lecture should be able to store this information in their
memory for an extended period.
 Retrieving is the fourth stage of information processing, and it refers to
when a person remembers information they had stored in their memory
bank. For example, when a student can remember information from a
lecture while taking a final, they are retrieving this information from their
memory bank.

Stages of Memory
Memory plays a very important role in information processing. For example,
without memory, a student will not be able to retrieve pieces of information from
their brain to answer questions on an exam. According to the information
processing theory, there are three main stages of memory which include sensory
memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. The following sections
describe these three stages in further detail.
 Sensory memory refers to the information the brain gathers through the
body's senses which include vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

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 Interestingly, the body does not remember most of the information it
receives from its senses. A person's body is constantly being bombarded
with sensory information. For example, during every second of the day, a
person's brain is constantly receiving sensory information from the eyes,
skin, ears, nose, and mouth. It would not be possible for the brain to pay
attention to and retain every single bit of sensory information it receives.
The brain will only remember most sensory information for only a very few
seconds. Sensory information will only be stored in the brain for longer than a
few seconds if a person consciously focuses on it, if it is memorable, or if it is
familiar. For example, there are certain smells that can trigger particular
memories, such as smelling a certain scent that causes a person to think about a
loved one or a favorite meal.

A person receives information by using their five senses such as a student using
their ears to listen to their professor during a lecture.

 Short-term memory (also known as working memory) refers to information

that is only remembered for about 15-30 seconds. However, if this
information is repeated or if a person focuses on the information, the
memory can be extended.
For example, many people have a difficult time remembering someone's name
when first meeting them. Oftentimes, a person will forget a name only a few
seconds later. However, if a person repeats this new name several times during
the conversation, they will likely remember the name for much longer than 15-
30 seconds.
There are other factors that can impact short-term memory which include:

 Cognitive ability: People with higher intelligence will often have a better
short-term memory. Higher intelligence will often allow a person to pay
attention to more information at one time.
 Familiarity: Information that is more familiar will be easier to remember
and process.
 Importance: Information that is more important to a person will likely
cause the person to pay closer attention, which can increase the
likelihood of remembering it.

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  Long-term memory refers to the information the brain can store for longer
periods of time, and the brain is believed to have an unlimited capacity to
store long-term memories. Conversely, the brain is believed to have a limited
capacity for short-term memories.
There are several different kinds of information that gets stored as long-term
memories which include:
 Declarative information: information such as concepts, ideas, and facts
 Personal experiences: weddings, children being born, and other events in
one's life
 Procedural information: steps on how to do something such as riding a
bike or combing one's hair
 Imagery: mental pictures.

Gestalt Theory of Learning by Wolfgang Kohler explained

The Gestalt Theory of Learning is a psychological theory, developed by Wolfgang

Kohler that describes how people learn. Next to what it is, this article alo highlights
examples of Gestalt theory of learning, how to use and principles the
disadvantages, views of this theory and a short summary.

What is Gestalt Theory of Learning?

The Gestalt Theory of Learning is an educational philosophy based on the tenets
and ideas of gestalt psychology.

Gestalt literally means “whole” or “unified.”

The theory states that the whole of a set of stimuli, such as verbal and nonverbal
communication, has a greater influence on behavior than individual parts;
individuals can gain more from studying elements of a subject in relationship to
one another rather than simply memorizing them by themselves.

In this way, new information is taught alongside previously learned material so that
no piece of information exists alone but as part of a unified lesson plan.

In particular, the Gestalt theory focuses on how humans learn, which is based upon
our previous experiences with similar objects or from other senses such as sound
and smell.

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This means that when you see an object on the table, your brain will fill in all of its
features based on your previous experience with similar objects or from other
senses. Gestalt theory argues that we don’t need to be taught these associations
because we already know them naturally: it’s our automatic response to a stimulus.

It was first proposed by German psychologist Wolfgang Kohler in 1912 and has been
expanded upon by many psychologists since then, including Max Wertheimer
(1923), Kurt Koffka (1935), and many others.

Examples of Gestalt theory of learning

If you were asked to describe a person who you met before, you might start off
describing the hair color, clothes, height, etc. But after seeing the face, you’d
probably notice she looked familiar too. That’s because you’ve associated certain
facial characteristics with someone else whom you knew well.

When you’re trying to remember where you put down your keys, you may think
back over the last few minutes and recall where you left them. But if you try to do
this while looking at a picture of those same keys, you’ll find yourself unable to
identify them.

The Gestalt theory of learning says that there is a connection between the form of
the teacher’s voice and the students’ understanding of the content being presented.
This is called “the principle of similarity”. For example, if the teacher speaks slowly
and clearly, his/her speech pattern becomes similar to the student’s internal model
for speaking.

A child at school sees a form on the board with the word ‘kangaroo’ next to it. The
child thinks of Australia, smells eucalyptus, and hears the locals speaking in their
native tongue, creating a gestalt that they are learning about kangaroos.

The Gestalt Theory in philosophy

The Gestalt Theory is based on the idea that learning is a result of observing and
comprehending stimuli in relation to one another, not just individually. The theory
emphasizes the importance of an individual’s awareness of their environment and
how it integrates with their previous knowledge and experience.

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The Gestalt Theory of Learning is known as a holistic philosophy theory because it
points out that knowledge can be absorbed through the common link between all
of our senses, not just through words or individual experiences. While this school of
thought was initially devised as a theory of learning, it has since been adopted into
other educational philosophies, including critical pedagogy and project-based
learning.

Gestalt Theory of Learning in Education

The Gestalt Theory of Learning in education refers to the utilization of our senses as
well as past experiences to comprehend stimuli. It shows how humans’ response to
innate associations can contribute towards knowledge acquisition. In this context,
the central question is: what shapes knowledge?

The theory underlines this idea that everything we encounter shapes who we are,
including teaching methods, school culture, and classroom environment. The idea
extends to how we learn throughout our lifetime (i.e. learning outside of the
classroom) and how it shapes our perspectives on knowledge, information, and
data.

There is no set way to teach according to the Gestalt Theory of Learning. Instead,
the approach used is completely situational based on what works for each
individual student.

The method is focused primarily on how humans’ process knowledge rather than
simply focusing on content or information.

How to use and principles

The best way to use the Gestalt Theory of Learning in practice is to create a
situation where students are given the opportunity to observe many stimuli in
relation to one another. In this case, project-based learning would be an exemplary
teaching method because the children are then able to learn through their own
experience rather than observation or by being told what they need to know. This
approach allows them to see the different parts of a topic and how they relate to
each other within a whole picture, which is crucial for applying knowledge outside
of school.

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Learning cannot happen as fast as humans would like it to be – we still require
guidance from our teachers throughout the duration of our education (i.e. lectures).
However, Gestalt theory shows us that humans can acquire knowledge much faster
when given opportunities such as those provided by project-based learning.

Disadvantages
 It does not provide any specific guidelines regarding how to implement
the theory.
 Some people believe that the theory is too vague and difficult to
understand.
 Many educators do not agree with the theory’s emphasis on experiential
learning.
 The theory has been criticized for promoting passive learning.
 The theory focuses more on human behavior than on cognitive
processes.
 The theory emphasizes the importance of context but fails to explain
why certain contexts work better than others.
 The theory assumes that all learners will respond similarly to similar
situations.
 The theory ignores cultural differences between individuals.

Views on Gestalt theory of learning

The Gestalt Theory of Learning is described

by theorists as being holistic, emergent or constructive, and active. Learning does

not happen in a linear fashion from A to B but through a process called emergence
where consequences build upon consequences, producing a unique experience for
each individual.

For example, if one person decided to stay indoors all day they’re going to have a
different experience than someone who went outside that same day because they’ll
encounter different stimuli during the two days.

Another important aspect of this theory is that everything is connected with

everything else, so if something changes, it will affect how other things change
around it. This can be seen through the Gestalt Theory of Perception, which says
that things are perceived as wholes before all the parts are seen.

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Other aspect of gestalt learning is that it happens in an active way, rather than
passively observing something. The individual does not simply sit there and take in
information, but they try to focus on what is important for themselves – this may
consist of looking away or really focusing on specific aspects related to their own
goals. This makes sense because if you’re trying to learn about some topic, you
can’t be expected to know everything, so you’d need to choose what’s most
important for you first.

The best way to improve your learning experience would be through project-based
learning because then students will have more opportunities to feel like they’re
learning as a whole.

It’s important to note that this theory does not discredit the importance of lecturing
from teachers, because it still serves as a valuable method to raise student
awareness about specific topics and provide them with a general understanding of
what is being taught beforehand.

Summary
Gestalt theory can be applied to teaching methods in general. Its emphasis on
experiential learning makes this approach more effective than any other
instructional technique. Each student’s experience with a certain object will be
different based upon their role.

In addition, when working within a group setting, students must work together to
achieve common objectives. These factors make projects ideal for developing skills
such as teamwork, leadership, communication, problem-solving, critical
thinking, creativity, self-awareness, etc., while also providing ample opportunity for
hands-on practice.
The main advantage of the Gestalt theory is its ability to help individuals
understand concepts better. By understanding concepts, you will gain insight into
your surroundings and therefore become aware of things around you. You will
notice patterns and relationships that exist among objects and events. Through this
process, you will develop skills that allow you to solve problems and find solutions
to everyday situations.

https://study.com/learn/lesson/information-processing-theory-stages.html

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https://www.toolshero.com/psychology/gestalt-theory-of-learning/#:~:text=The
%20Gestalt%20Theory%20is%20based,their%20previous%20knowledge%20and
%20experience.

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