The document discusses how information processing theory examines how humans receive, think about, modify, and remember information and how these cognitive processes change over development. It notes that information processing theory emerged in the 1950s and 1960s and has continued to evolve, examining the five key components of sensation, perception, sensory register, working memory, and long-term memory. The theory is used by researchers to study areas like improvements in children's ability to focus on information and increase their attention spans and memory storage capacities.