ABSTRACT
An information-processing analysis describes observed behavior in terms of the encoding of perceptual information, the manner in which internal psychological subsystems utilize the encoded information, and the functional organization of these subsystems. At the heart of the human cognitive system are processes of information transmission, translation, reduction, collation, storage, and retrieval (e.g., Fitts, 1964; Marteniuk, 1976; Stelmach, 1982; Welford, 1968). Consistent with a general model of human information processing (e.g., Fitts & Posner, 1967), three basic processes have been distinguished historically. For our purposes, we refer to these processes as stimulus identification, response selection, and response programming. Briefly, stimulus identification is associated with processes responsible for the perception of information. Response selection pertains to the translation between stimuli and responses and the selection of a response. Response programming is associated with the organization of the final output (see Proctor & Vu, 2003, or the present volume).
