UNIT 5 INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY
him/her to filter the vast amount of information that reach them so that only a small amount of it ever reaches the conscious mind; then only a small amount of this is singled out for attention and processing; and then only the tiniest fraction of this is finally stored in long-term memory for later recall. Baran and Davis (2003) say that this is why some cognitive psychologists see human beings as better information avoiders than information handlers. (Refer also to the selectivity processes discussed in Module 3). We have elaborate, sophisticated, largely subconscious mechanisms for screening out irrelevant information. A growing insight from cognitive psychology regarding the learning process is that the ability to absorb and recall large amounts of information may not necessarily, at least not always, be much of an intellectual virtue. (This is of course not an encouragement for lazy people who try to excuse their laziness by retorting: “You know I’m not good at recalling facts/dates etc!”) It is to emphasise that efficient and effective information handlers (including learners) are those who have developed routinised strategies for identifying critical information and screening out irrelevant information). Each of us would probably benefit from routinised assessments of our information handling capacities and strategies relative to our information handling needs.
3.2 Application to Mass Communication
Applied to the handling of mass-mediated information, Information Processing Theory supports the view that routine consumption of information from the media (especially electronic media) is a much more complex process than it is usually assumed to be, and that the complexity varies in nature and amount with the medium in question.
For example, television viewing requires information processing skills that are quite different from the skills required for the consumption of radio or cinema fare. And the electronic media generally demand variegated specialist skills different from those required for the consumption of print media fare — even among equally literate consumers. Researchers have also identified several features of media information packaging which consumers consider to be facilitators or hinderers of efficient and effective information processing (e.g. Davis and Robinson: 1989). They find for instance, that stories with complex structure and terminology or powerful but irrelevant visual images are candidates for misunderstanding or poor understanding by the audience.
And they find that human- interest stories with simple but dramatic storyline are better understood.
According to these researchers, and with specific regard to television viewing, information handing weaknesses are shared in varying proportions by both the audiences and the broadcasters. Most of us television viewers have developed schemes or cognitive patterns that
pay us well in watching television entertainment because television is generally assumed to be an entertainment medium. When we transfer these schemes to the consumption of television news, they result in a kind of passive viewing, with relatively little gains in understanding, storage and recall. It would probably pay to routinely draw the attention of television viewers to the mistakes they routinely make in these regards and the implications of these seemingly innocuous mistakes for harmonious social and political interactions. For developing countries in particular, it is important to educate consumers and journalists to see beyond the journalistic hobby-horse of “information, education and entertainment”, and to appreciate the imperative of using the costly medium of television to advance the cause of national integration, the acceleration of socio-economic development and cultural creativity (see Folarin, 1998: 2000).
It has also been noted that the packaging of most television news stories tends to be “biased against understanding” (Baran & Davis, 2003: 283).
To start with, too many stories are crowded into each news bulletin to take maximum advantage of the little time usually available. “Time”, they say, “is golden to the electronic media,” just as “space is golden to the print media.” That is true, of course, but we must be conscious of the consequences and costs to the consumer. In the case of television, each story is a complex combination of visual and verbal content, the visual component being usually predominant. Most of the time, viewers are left with striking visual images but little contextual information (See Unit 1 of Module 4 on Factors Influencing Gatekeeping Decisions).
3.3 Advice to Television Organisations
Information Processing Theory is rapidly revealing how we tailor our innate cognitive skills to make use of media content. It may be of help for television organisations to employ the services of information processing researchers / experts in the efforts to enhance the
“viewability” of their news programme in particular and current affairs programmes generally, in much the same way that print media organisations once employed the services of reading experts in the efforts to enhance the “readability” of their newspaper and magazine news stories.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 5.1
i. State one feature that is found to enhance and one feature that is found to hinder the understanding of television news.
ii. Identify one situation in which excessive screening of sensory information may be harmless and another situation in which it could be dangerous.
iii. Explain why you think the emphasis tends to be placed on news information handling than on entertainment in Information Processing Theory.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Although Information Processing Theory is primarily a product of research in Cognitive Psychology, it is substantially amenable to application to the processing of mass-mediated information.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, we have focused on Information Processing Theory as applied to Mass Communication, with particular regard to the way we employ our built-in information handling capacities and strategies to filter out irrelevant information. It is these capacities and strategies that enable us to manage the vast amounts of information that reach us from the mass media on a daily basis. We also saw how the complexity of television news programming in particular poses a challenge to our information handling capacities. We concluded with advice to television organisations to employ the services of information processing experts to help them enhance the viewability of their news programmes in particular.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
Do you share the view that the public need to be consciously educated on how to process television news information with profit? Suggest one or two forms that such public education could take. (Maximum of two pages).
7.0 REFERENCE/FURTHER READING
Baran, S.J. & Davis, D. K. (2012). Mass communication theory:
Foundations, ferment, and future. 6th edition, Boston:
Wadsworth
UNIT 6 BRITISH CULTURAL AND POLITICAL