The authors propose a matrix for a comprehensive approach to cognition and aging. The dimensions of the matrix are (1) biological, psychological, and social factors; and (2) the information processing variables of input, processing, and output. (Journal availability: Department of Adult Education, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.) (SK)

Considers the contribution to information-processing accounts of human intelligence differences made by Arthur Jensen, commending his persistence in research and noting his reductionist orientation. Explores the question of correlated vectors studied by Jensen. (SLD)

This study investigated the question of whether a student's expectancy, values and negative affect influenced their deep information processing approach and achievement at the end of the first and second academic year. Five hundred and sixty-five first-year students completed a self-report questionnaire on three different occasions. The…

This paper discusses a mental model of learning based on the processes of attention, perception, processing, and application. The learning process starts with attention, such as curiosity, excitement, expectation, or fear; in pedagogy this is called motivation. New impressions are dependent on and interpreted against the background of previous…

A theory of memory is introduced, which seeks to respond to the shortcomings of existing theories based on metaphors. Memory is presented as a mechanism, a comparison process in which information held in some form of immediate storage (whether based on perception or previous cognition or both) is compared to previously stored long-term storage.…

The effects of observational purpose are thought to impact on such diverse processes as categorization, behavior perception, trait ascription, and memory. The role of observational purpose in the categorization of behavior was explored to determine whether differences between trait and goal concepts affect certain information-processing…

A total of 100 third and ninth grade students participated in a study to determine how children of different ages perceptually segment a continuing behavior sequence presented on a television program. The children were shown a short segment from a motion picture on a videotape viewer. Following the viewing, the children completed unitizing…

The investigation reported is primarily a description of how college students solve or fail to solve algebra equations. Protocols were collected from two groups of college students; one group was expected to be good solvers, the other group contained many poor solvers. The investigators sought to identify and classify the difficulties students…

A central tenet of a self-schema model for depression is the idea that severity of depression is a crucial determinant of the content and cohesiveness of the depressive's self-schema. Consistent with predictions generated form this model, sample nondepressives displayed superior recall for self-referenced, nondepressed-content adjectives. Recall…

Since the mid-1960s a new approach has dominated American research in the area of mathematics education -- information-processing theory. The author examines several examples of research in this new tradition and sketches the general features of an emerging information-processing psychology of teaching. Information-processing studies that employ…

The effects of types of both memorized items and probes (digit, word, and dot pattern), using Sternberg's character-recognition procedure, were studied. Reaction time (RT) was a linear function of the set size of memorized items consistent with a serial search model. Response type (positive or negative) affected the encoding time (intercept of RT…

This paper presents a theory of human information processing. Information processing refers to the perception, encoding, recoding, storage, retrieval and manipulation of information by the brain. This theoretical model takes a developmental perspective in explaining human performance on tasks that require thinking, reasoning and remembering.…

Suggests a model of human cognition by describing similarities between human and electronic computers. This model might guide the development of software so that it is sufficiently powerful and flexible to be of value to human computers as they construct new knowledge in chemistry. (JN)