We need to look at different aspects of the cognitive system in relation to different needs and different task requirements. Thus, tasks are analysed not in terms of the amount of information processed per se for the various stages, but in terms of how new information entering the system is dealt with. These include things like how information is organised and classified, how relevant stored information is retrieved to make sense of it, what decisions are made and how this information is stored. We will address some of this when we consider learning, memory, and problem solving. It is worth noting that this model is very much a child of the age of computers, being an input-output model of human cognitive processing.
Information goes in, is processed and an output is generated.
Many simplistic views of this model assume the model entails that we represent information internally in a very detailed way. This suggests that we use cues and stores in the world for information storage. Technology changes the nature of those cues and stores. An example would be a diary. If I don't have a diary then I probably need to remember things.