Cognitive information processing theory explains how the mind learns and stores information through sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. It emphasizes active engagement in learning, while behaviorist theory emphasizes repetition. However, there are some areas of learning that are not explained by either theory.
Cognitive information processing is a collection of theories about how the mind learns by absorbing, processing and storing information. Most versions of the theory emphasize three components of memory: sensory memory, short-term or “working” memory, and long-term memory. By the second half of the 20th century, theories of cognitive information processing had largely replaced behaviorist theory, but there are some areas of learning that are not adequately explained by either framework.
The Atkinson-Shiffrin model of cognitive information deals with how sensory input ultimately becomes knowledge. At any given moment, a person’s mind is bombarded with various stimuli: sights, sounds, smells, etc. The vast majority of these stimuli are stored briefly in sensory memory, but forgotten within seconds.
If, however, the person intentionally pays attention to a particular sensory input, it becomes part of short-term memory. Information in short-term memory can be analyzed in relation to its immediate context and relevant prior knowledge. If knowledge integrates successfully into other relevant knowledge, it is integrated with that information and stored with it in long-term memory.
This and other variations on cognitive information processing theory see knowledge acquired and stored in a computer-like network. Conversely, earlier learning theories such as the behaviorist views of BF Skinner emphasized the importance of learning by repetition. In Skinner’s model, a student receives positive feedback for remembering information correctly and negative feedback for remembering incorrectly, so learning is reinforced by positive consequences. As far as cognitive information processing theory is concerned, however, the role of feedback is to aid in understanding information. When people receive negative feedback, they learn that something in their understanding of the information is incorrect and adjust their understanding accordingly.
Both learning theories have a direct influence on education. Cognitive information processing theorists emphasize the need to actively engage students in information for it to become part of long-term memory. Behaviorists emphasize the continuous reinforcement of a student’s knowledge. Taken together, the two models make up a large part of the methods used in modern classrooms.
There are, however, some important shortcomings in cognitive information processing. Some evidence suggests that not all information needs to be consciously received and processed in order to be archived. For example, a person might learn the lyrics to a popular song by listening to it over and over on the radio, never intentionally focusing attention on it. Other learned behaviors, such as riding a bicycle or driving a car with a standard transmission, involve a combination of semi-automatic mental and physical processes that don’t fit neatly into either model.
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