The document summarizes several principles of human memory and information organization. It describes the stage theory model of memory, which asserts that memory develops through sensory input, short-term memory, and long-term memory stages. It also discusses concepts like Miller's magic number and techniques for organizing information like the inverted pyramid structure and LATCH model. The document provides examples and references on topics in perception, cognition, and information design.
3. stage theory model
Also know as the Atkinson + Shiffrin
Model
Asserts that human memory develops
in three specific stages:
1. Sensory input
2. Short-term memory
3. Long-term memory
4. sensory input
Also called notice
Senses recognize + momentarily store
incoming environmental stimuli
Brain either filters out this stimuli or
transfers it to short-term memory
5. short-term memory
Also called storage
Can begin to process information in an
active + conscious way
Can discard information or continue
thinking about it
The latter creates a rehearsal/feedback
loop
9. miller’s magic number
Result of short-term memory stud-
ies by George Miller, a psychology
professor at Harvard in the 1950s
Determined that the human brain
can remember seven “chunks”, or
single units of information, plus or
minus two
15. weber’s law
Also called Law of Just Noticeable
Differences
Defines minimum amount of change
required for an individual to take
notice
Amount of change remains constant
+ can be predicted for future stimuli
16. which weights of a type-
face can the average
audience easily identify?
18. cleveland’s task model
Developed by William S. Cleveland
at Purdue University
Pertains to how readers processes
charts + graphs
Readers use graphs to obtain both
general + specific details
19. pattern perception
User sees trends in the data
Can make broad, comprehensive
conclusions about a graph’s content
Individual variables are not as im-
portant as an overall understanding
of the content
21. table lookup
Requires the reader to undertake an
analysis of more detailed content
Reader is making determinations
about a single subject + its relation-
ship to the rest of the graph
Information being processed is a
detail of a larger whole
24. inverted pyramid
Style of writing common in journalism
Places most important or newsworthy
information at the beginning of the story
Orders the remaining information based
on relative importance
26. principle of least effort
Developed by Thomas Mann,
a librarian at the US Library of
Congress
Regardless of experience, users
will naturally gravitate towards
familiar + easy tools, even if the
resulting yield is poor
27. a weekday edition of the
new york times contains
more information than the
average person was likely
to come across in a lifetime
in 17th-century england.
28. LATCH
Model for organizing information
developed by Richard Saul Wurman
Contains only five ways of grouping
content
30. location
Structures information based on
physical geography
Examples include maps, transporta-
tion routes, + travel guides
Use when physical connections are
important to understanding
32. alphabet
Bases content structure on letter
sequence
Very familiar to most audiences
Examples include dictionaries,
encyclopedias, + telephone books
Recommended for placing very
specific content in a large pool of
information
34. time
Useful when users need to understand
the sequence of events
Examples include calendars, arrival/
departure boards, + timelines
Recommended when chain of events
is highly relevant to context
36. category
Group information with similar features
or attributes
Examples include e-commerce websites
+ scientific classifications
Recommended when connections be-
tween information sets are important
38. hierarchy
Organizes information by measure
or by perceived importance
Examples include emergency
instructions + military insignia
Recommended when necessary to
assign weight or value to the order
of information
39. usa 22%
japan 19.4%
germany 8.6%
uk 6.1%
france 6%
italy 4.8%
canada 2.8%
spain 2.5%
china 2%
mexico 1.8%
percentage of contribution to
united nations general budget
40.
41.
42. references
Cleveland, William S. Visualizing
Data. Hobart Press, 1993.
Visocky O’Grady, Ken & Jenn. The
Information Design Handbook.
HOW Books, 2008.
Wurman, Richard Saul. Information
Anxiety. Bantam Books, 1990.