Information Processing Model
The information processing system works in quite the similar
way of the computer. The external stimulus comes into the first component
of the memory system -- the sensory
register. Without extra reinforcement, the information
received by sensory register will exist in memory only for a couple of seconds.
As soon as outside input is received by the senses, the mind starts processing
it according to our experiences and mental state, namely the initial processing or
perception.
The perceived information is transferred to the second memory component
-- short-term
memory, which,
with a limited capacity, can hold information for only about thirty seconds.
After rehearsal and coding, the maintained information is transferred to
long-term memory. Once information is stored in long-term memory, it can last for
quite a long time, even for a lifetime although we may lose the ability
recall the information. Theorists usually divide long-term
memory into three parts: episodic memory, semantic memory, and procedural
memory.
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