FACT SHEET
Processing
New Information
Contents
- Part One: The basic mechanics of information processing
- Part Two: Why it matters
Part One
The Basic Mechanics of
Information Processing
To maximize limited working memory capacity, the brain chunks new information based on schemas.
01
Working memory operates under constraint
Working memory is the active part of the brain responsible for holding and manipulating information during reading, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Unlike the vast reserves available in long-term memory, working memory is small and can only handle about four meaningful units of information at any given time. The operative word in “four meaningful units” is not “four.” It is “meaningful.” What qualifies as meaningful varies based on the person and the subject.
02
Limitations are minimized through "chunking" the new with the known
To maximize capacity, working memory manipulates new information as it arrives. One way it does this is by discarding exact wording and retaining only the underlying concepts. It then groups the concepts it recognizes into larger meaningful units called ‘chunks.’
Chunk sizes vary based on what a person already knows before encountering the new information. That existing knowledge is what makes the new input meaningful.
If the new information matches a pattern the brain recognizes, it and existing knowledge are compressed together into a single working memory unit.
If new information does not match a recognized pattern, it is segmented into separate working memory units while the brain attempts to figure out where to put it. This can potentially fill available working memory before someone reaches the end of a sentence.
The graphic below shows how two different people—a forensic economist and a non-forensic economist—might chunk the term “discounted cash flow analysis.” Note the impact on working memory load in light of the theory of four available meaningful unit slots.
03
Knowledge frameworks called "schemas" drive chunking
The reason the forensic economist in the “discounted cash flow analysis” graphic can chunk so much information into a single unit of working memory is because of integrated knowledge frameworks called “schemas.”
Schemas are the long-term memory constructions of everything we know about a given subject. The more we know, the denser the schema for a particular subject becomes.
04
Unchunked information has a life span of seconds
Because working memory capacity is limited, information that cannot be quickly integrated through chunking gets pushed out when new information arrives. That new information could be the next words on the page, a dog barking, or a phone ringing. Working memory does not distinguish one type of input it must slot from another.
Part two
Why This Matters
Effective communication respects the brain’s hardwired mechanics.
We have all experienced the frustration of reading something, taking in every word, and finishing with no clear idea of what we just read.
When high-stakes documents and presentations fail in such a way, it is often because the authors created them based on internal logic rather than the way external audiences actually process new information.
Authors have already done the work of chunking and integrating the material in their own brains. Because the information is so integrated, to them, the progression of how they present that internal logic to readers and listeners feels clear.
What is obvious to the person writing, however, is not necessarily obvious to the person reading. Unfortunately, the writer is often the last person who can tell the difference.
The Curse of Knowledge fact sheet explains why those who know the most about a subject can have the hardest time communicating effectively about it.
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