Research Guides: Essential Learning Theories & Frameworks in IDT: Information Processing Theory

Information Processing Theory

Classified as a cognitive theory, this theory focuses on how humans process the information they receive, rather than merely responding to stimuli. This theory uses a computer analogy to explain human thought processes, suggesting that the mind functions like a biological computer responsible for analyzing information from the environment.

Key figures include George Miller.

Baddeley, A. (1994). The magical number seven: Still magic after all these years? Psychological Review, 101(2), 353–356. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.101.2.353

Baddeley, A. (2010). Working memory. Current Biology, 20(4), R136–R140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2009.12.014

Baddeley, A., Jarrold, C., & Vargha-Khadem, F. (2011). Working memory and the hippocampus. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23(12), 3855–3861. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00066

Brady, T. F., Störmer, V. S., & Alvarez, G. A. (2016). Working memory is not fixed-capacity: More active storage capacity for real-world objects than for simple stimuli. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(27), 7459–7464. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26470708

Christophel, T. B., Klink, P. C., Spitzer, B., Roelfsema, P. R., & Haynes, J. -D. (2017). The distributed nature of working memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(2), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.12.007

Fukuda, K., & Woodman, G. F. (2017). Visual working memory buffers information retrieved from visual long-term memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(20), 5306–5311. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1617874114

Malleret, G., Salin, P., Mazza, S., & Plancher, G. (2024). Working memory forgetting: Bridging gaps between human and animal studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 163, 105742-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105742

Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0043158

Shiffrin, R. M., & Nosofsky, R. M. (1994). Seven plus or minus two: A commentary on capacity limitations. Psychological Review, 101(2), 357–361. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.101.2.357

Stout, P. J., Klett, M. D., Akpan, B., & Kennedy, T. J. (2025). New media technologies and information processing theory—George A. Miller and others. In Science Education in Theory and Practice (pp. 101–123). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81351-1_7