Explain the working of a human as an Information Processor?

It is the human being who is having the ability to hear, see, touch, feel and smell and further these senses are transmitted to the brain. Here the activity of the brain begins and it analyze these senses and ultimately gives the answer that is the best suited.

The activity of the human brain is very unique in the nature of the working and finds its base of functioning associated to the Information Processing.

The details of the “Model of the Human as the Information Processor” can be explained as the follows –
1. The ears, nose, eyes etc (sensory receptors) pick up the signals.
2. These signals are then transferred to the brain.
3. The brain processes these signals.
4. Then the brain gives the suitable answers or responses.
5. The signals from the sensory receptors act as the inputs and the responses act as the outputs.
As explained above, the inputs are accepted by the brain and the responses are given by the brain but one important fact to remember here is that the ability of the brain to accept the inputs and offer the outputs is limited in the nature i.e. the brain is not having the ability to accept unlimited inputs and then to come out with the unlimited number of the outputs. When the number of the inputs increase a lot the situation is referred to as the ‘Over Loading’.

For the efficient working, it very necessary to avoid this over loading and for doing this, one must restrict the inputs to a quantity that can be easily managed. This step involves selecting only that material that is required i.e. one must be very much selective in the acceptance of the inputs. The inputs that are not essential must be blocked and by this one is able to create the filters as a result of the following –

1. Frame of reference about the person concerned, based on the prior knowledge and the experience.
2. Very normal decision procedure.
3. Decision making under the stress.

One very important point to be remembered here is that the filtering, as explained above helps in the blockage of the data that is not needed or wanted but along with this, filtering also blocks the data that is not considered to be very consistent in the nature and working, with the help of the established frame of the reference. Ultimately, may sometimes result in the errors of the perception like the omission, the distortion, the inferences etc.

The errors of the perception usually result in the reduction of the information content.