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Explores the information-processing model and how the mind encodes, stores, and retrieves information like a complex computer.
How is it that you can remember a song lyric from ten years ago, yet forget why you walked into a room thirty seconds ago? The answer lies in your 'biological operating system.'
Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes, including perception, thought, memory, and decision-making. In the 1950s, the 'Cognitive Revolution' shifted the focus from outward behavior to the internal 'black box' of the mind. This led to the Information-Processing Model (IPM), which views the human mind as a complex system that manipulates symbols, much like a computer. While a computer uses silicon chips, we use a network of roughly neurons. Despite the biological difference, the logical flow remains the same: Input (from the environment) leads to Processing (mental manipulation), which results in Output (behavior or speech).
Quick Check
In the Information-Processing Model, what does 'Input' represent for a human?
Answer
Input represents sensory information gathered from the environment through our senses (sight, sound, touch, etc.).
To understand the mind, we often use the computer analogy. Our brain's physical structure—neurons, synapses, and lobes—is the Hardware. Our mental strategies, such as rules for solving a math problem, are the Software. A key concept here is Limited Capacity. Just as a computer has a finite amount of RAM (Random Access Memory), humans have a limited Working Memory. Cognitive scientist George Miller famously suggested our 'RAM' can hold approximately items at once. If we exceed this limit, 'system lag' occurs, and we lose information.
Imagine trying to remember a new phone number without writing it down. 1. You hear the numbers: . 2. Your Working Memory (RAM) holds these 7 digits. 3. If someone asks you a question immediately, the 'processing load' increases. 4. Because your capacity is roughly , the new input may 'overwrite' the phone number, causing you to forget it.
Quick Check
If a computer's RAM is equivalent to human Working Memory, what is the hard drive equivalent to?
Answer
Long-Term Memory (LTM).
The IPM identifies three distinct stages in the memory chain. First is Encoding, the process of transforming sensory input into a 'code' the brain can use (like converting a keystroke into binary). Second is Storage, the retention of encoded information over time. Third is Retrieval, the process of accessing stored information when needed. A failure at any stage results in forgetting. For example, if you meet someone and forget their name, did you fail to encode it (you weren't paying attention), or did you fail to retrieve it (it's on the tip of your tongue)?
Consider learning the formula for the area of a circle: . 1. Encoding: You visualize the circle and the radius, linking the symbol to the value . 2. Storage: You repeat the formula (rehearsal) to move it from Short-Term to Long-Term memory. 3. Retrieval: During a test, you see a circle and 'pull' the formula back into your Working Memory to solve the problem.
Solving a complex physics problem requires managing 'Cognitive Load.' 1. You must retrieve the constant for gravity () from Long-Term Memory. 2. You must hold the specific variables of the problem () in Working Memory. 3. You must apply the 'software' (the formula ). 4. If the math becomes too complex, your Working Memory capacity is exceeded, and you may lose track of your initial goal.
Which process is responsible for transforming environmental stimuli into a form the brain can understand?
According to George Miller, what is the average capacity of human working memory?
In the computer analogy, the physical structure of the brain is considered the 'software.'
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain the difference between Encoding and Retrieval to a friend without looking at your notes.
Practice Activity
Observe your own 'limited capacity' today: try to memorize a random 10-digit number and see at which digit your memory starts to 'blur.'