Informationsverarbeitungseinheit

Informationsverarbeitung, or information processing, is the study of how information is transformed, stored, transmitted, and used by systems. The term is used across disciplines, including cognitive science, computer science, and information theory. In cognitive psychology, information processing describes how the mind encodes sensory input, maintains it in working memory, and carries out decision making and action through stages such as perception, attention, encoding, storage, retrieval, and response selection. The approach emphasizes internal representations and processes rather than solely external stimulus–response links. Classic models include the information processing model and the Atkinson–Shiffrin stages of memory, which depict a sequence of processing from sensory input to long-term memory. Critics argue that human cognition may involve parallel and heuristic processing rather than strict serial sequences.

In computer science, information processing refers to the manipulation of data by computer systems, including input, transformation, storage, and output. This encompasses hardware architectures, software processes, databases, and networks. Key concepts include data encoding, algorithms, error detection and correction, and efficiency measured by time and space complexity. Information processing pipelines describe how data flows from collection through processing to dissemination, often using modular components and standardized interfaces.

Applications span numerous domains, such as automated reasoning, artificial intelligence, data analytics, information systems, telecommunications, and digital media. The term is closely related to information theory, which studies the transmission of information under constraints like noise and bandwidth. See also: Information theory, Cognitive processing, Data processing, Information system, Human–computer interaction.