ABSTRACT
Human beings are physical systems and thus in principle their activity can be described within the language of physical science. Yet it is clear that such descriptions will not suffice for every practical or explanatory purpose. 1 Among the theoretical perspectives which seem required for an adequate psychology of human action or behavior are those which describe human beings as acquiring information about their environment as well as storing, interrelating and using that information. Indeed, so large a role do such factors play in human behavior that many cognitive psychologists have adopted the notion of an information processing system as the dominant model in constructing theories of human psychological function. 2 However, despite the widespread popularity of the information processing approach, there is considerable theoretical unclarity about the notions of information and cognitive representation which are employed in formulating such theories. Various uses of the term ‘information’ drawn from computer science, communication theory, traditional psychology and common sense are often distinguished only inexactly, if at all.
