| Chapter 1: | Study One: Introduction / Overview of Study Goals |
As learning from the WWW entails information processing of mediated messages, it is suited to examination under the guidelines of this model. The two main assumptions of the model are that people inherently process information and that their information processing ability is limited due to the capacity of their processing resources. Lang suggested that messages may not be processed fully because individuals do not choose to allocate enough resources to the task or may have fewer resources available than are necessary to complete the task. A reflection of prior research provides the background for a model composed of three subprocesses that are believed to occur simultaneously: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
The first subprocess is encoding and it refers to the receipt of information from the environment (Lang, 2000). The encoding subprocess can be further divided into two steps. First, information is encoded into sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin). Second, the information moves into short-term memory where it is transformed into mental representations. This encoding stage is closely linked with the retrieval stage because the ways in which information is perceived at the encoding stage determine how / what is stored. Appropriate retrieval cues can then be chosen depending on what and how information is stored. (Tulving & Thomson, 1973).
The storage subprocess is the organization of ones’ memory into an associative network of links (Lang, 2000). New information is held more firmly in storage when more associative links are created. This storage subprocess is basically what has been described earlier as long-term memory or semantic memory. The important component to consider is that information is stored based on its meaningful relationships to other pieces of information. For instance, schema theory provides a theoretical description of how individuals organize information and create meanings (Jonassen, Beissner, & Yacci, 1993). Schemas contain slots of information that when organized appropriately can be combined to describe particular objects, events, and ideas. Furthermore, schemas can connect to one another to provide meaningful relationships among pieces of information.