The information processing theory views the human mind as similar to a computer in how it processes information. It proposes that new information enters through the senses and is analyzed before being stored in memory. The theory sees the sensory systems as the hardware and mental rules/strategies as the software that can be enhanced. Information processing involves receiving input through the senses or sensory store, processing it briefly in the short term store, rehearsing it to encode it into long term memory, and later retrieving it from long term memory. This cognitive model of learning informed theories of how consumers acquire, store, and recall product information.

1. INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY
Introduction: The information processing theory is an approach to the cognitive development
of a human being, which deals with the study and the analysis of the sequence of events that
occur in a person's mind while receiving some new piece of information. The information
processing theory, as we know it today, was not created but developed by George Miller. This
theory claims that the human mind is very similar to that of computers, as far as information
processing and analysis is concerned. It also states that any new piece of information that enters
the brain is first analyzed and then put through the test of several benchmarks before being stored
in some vestibules of the memory. Since these actions occur at a very fast speed, we are unable
to notice them in action. The sensory preceptors of a human being function in the same way as
the hardware of a computer does, and the mindset and the rules and strategies adopted by the
person while learning, are equivalent to the software used by computers. The information
processing system of a person can thus be enhanced if these preceptors and rules are altered.
Discussion: Information Processing Theory has come from Cognitive Learning Theory. Below
diagram shows the origin of Information Processing.
Learning Theory
Behaviorism Cognitive
Information
Processing
Constructivism
Social
Cognitive
Figure: Theoretical Perspectives Learning

2. Some new psychologist developed new theory they thought it would be better describe to
understand learning theory. This theory called Information Processing. As we see in the graph
Information Processing is the part of the Cognitive Learning.
Before start Information Processing discussion, I want to give a brief discussion about Cognitive
Learning which is mother component of Information Processing.
Cognitive Learning: Cognitive Learning is the process of influence learning which is
different from behaviorisms. People are selective about what they learn, and they have choice of
learning. It is the process of active participant in learning either physically or cognitively.
Information Processing:Information Processing is a theory which seeks to understand how
people acquire new information how they store information and recall it from memory and how
what they already know guides and determines what and how they will learn.
Figure: Information Processing
Sensory Store: The Sensory is the mental space in the human mind where sensory input lasts
for just a second or two. If it is not processed immediately, it is lost. An example of this form of
store is when a person sees an object briefly before it disappears. Once the object is gone, it is
still retained in the memory for a very short period of time. The two most studied types of
Sensory
Input Sensory Rehearsal
Short Term
Store
Encoding Long Term
store Retrieval
Forgotten lost Forgotten lost Forgotten
unavailable

3. sensory memory are iconic memory (visual) and echoic memory (sound). All data come to us
though our sense but the senses don not carry whole images like a camera. Each sense receives a
piece of information such as the smell, color, shape or feel of flower and transmits it to the brain
in parallel where the perceptions of a single instant are synchronized and perceive as a single
image for only brief moment.
Key points:
 Too much information at once overloads WM resulting in information loss.
 Break large concepts into smaller digestible ones that make up the whole.
 Use concept maps or organizers
 Try not to be verbose, only give the fewest words in instructions. Simpler lesson plans
are best, introducing 1-2 concepts at a time.
 Present new information in the context of prior knowledge.
For marketers, it is easy to get information into consumer’s sensory store, but it is difficult to
make a lasting impression.
Short Term Store: The Short Term Store is where information is processed and held for just
a brief period.Anyone who has ever looked up a number in a telephone book only to forget it just
before dialing know how briefly information lasts in short term storage.The transfer process
takes from 2 to 10 seconds. If information is not rehearsed and transferred it is lost in about 30
seconds or less.It holds information only for a very brief period of time. It can hold on average 7
plus or minus 2 items. Primacy effect vs Regency effect. For example, imagine that you are
trying to remember a phone number. The other person rattles off the phone number, and you
make a quick mental note. Moments later you realize that you have already forgotten the
number. Without rehearsing or continuing to repeat the number until it is committed to memory,
the information is quickly lost from short-term memory.
Key points: short store
 Link new information to existing information.
 Cue learners by explicitly saying ‘this is important’ ‘you will need to know this to be able
to do x’

4.  Present information in varied ways and contexts to increase the chances of activating
prior knowledge
 Consumers with little prior knowledge in a subject may need more exposure to the
material.
Long Term Store: The long Term Store is the mental space where information is retained for
extended period of time. In contrast to the short term store where information lasts only a few
second. Although it is possible to forget something within a few minutes after the information
reaches long term storage. It is more common for data in long term storage to las for days,
weeks, or even years.
Long-Term Store provides permanent storage of information to later be retrieved. Unlike the
previous two components of the Information Processing, Long-Term Store is assumed to have
(nearly) infinite capacity and permanent duration. If information is encoded effectively into
Long-Term Store, we can say that learning has occurred. However, simply encoding information
in Long-Term Store does a student no good if he or she cannot access it later. Accessing
information stored in Long-Term Store is referred to as Retrieval. Information encoded in Long-
Term Store cannot be interacted with directly. It must be retrieved from Long-Term Store and
brought back into Working Memory where the information can once again be processed.
Key points:
 Encoding is important to ensure information gets into and stays in long-term memory
 Connect what you don’t know with what you do know.
 If you are not actively processing information chances are you are not encoding it.
Rehearsal: Rehearsal refers to the manipulation of information currently stored in Working
Memory. Students are focused on this information, and need to interact with it in some way or it
is forgotten. Rehearsal is the method of doing so. There are two main types of rehearsal:
maintenance and elaborative. Maintenance Rehearsal is rehearsal in which a thought or an idea is
repeated over and over in order to keep it in the Working Memory. Maintenance Rehearsal is
useful at keeping, or maintaining, information in the Working Memory, but typically,
information does not get much further, and is soon forgotten once attention is directed elsewhere.

5. The second type of rehearsal is referred to as Elaborative Rehearsal. With Elaborative Rehearsal,
rather than just repeating information over and over, some sort of meaning is attached to a term
or piece of information. Through this process of attaching meaning in Elaborative Rehearsal,
storage of the information is much more efficient, requiring fewer repetitions than with
Maintenance Rehearsal. Generally, the goal of Rehearsal is Encoding, or the storage of
information into Long-Term Memory.
Forgetting: Several mechanisms have been proposed for why we forget information in
working memory, and why tasks become harder the more separate elements we need to hold in
mind simultaneously. Causes postulated for “forgetting” include limited activation resources,
time-based decay, and interference due to confusion between items.
Information Retrieval: Information does not merely remain in long term storage waiting to
be retrieved. Retrieval is the process by which people recover information from the long term
store. It is frequently triggered by external cues.
Importance: (Application on Consumer Behavior)
 Processing and remembering a picture takes less time than learning verbal information
but both types of information are important in forming an overall mental image.
 Consumers maintain their favorite products or services memory by continuing rehearsing
the memory through their visualizations, which retrieves more memories of their favorite
products stored in their long-term memory.
 Consumers transfer their strengthened memory of their favorite products or services into
their long-term memory for later recall.
 If consumer receive too much information and then have difficulty encoding and storing
it.
 Consumers with little prior knowledge in a subject may need more exposure to the
material.
 Product information store in memory is brand based and consumers interpret new
information consistently with the way in which it already been organized.
 Unexpected elements improve consumers as retention only when those elements are
relevant to the advertising message.

6. Conclusion: The brain processes information at astounding speeds. The human mind
processes the information it receives. Consumers process product information by attributes,
brands comparisons between brands or a combination of these factors. The number and
complexity of the relevant attitudes and available alternatives influence the intensity or degree of
information processing. Consumers with higher cognitive abilities acquire more product
information and consider more product attitudes and alternatives than consumers with lesser
ability. The elements of memory are the sensory store, the short term store, and the long term
store the process of memory includes rehearsal, encoding, store and retrieval.

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