Basic Information Processing

This lesson covers the basic information processing model as required by AQA GCSE PE specification 3.2.1. Understanding how performers take in information from their environment, make decisions, and produce a physical response is fundamental to sports psychology. This topic is examined through diagram-based questions, short-answer questions, and extended-response questions. You must be able to draw, label, and explain the model, and apply it to sporting situations.

---

What Is Information Processing?

Information processing is the method by which a performer takes in information from the environment, makes sense of it, decides on an appropriate response, and then carries out that response. It can be thought of as a series of stages that happen very quickly — often in fractions of a second.

The basic information processing model has four stages:

1. Input
2. Decision Making
3. Output
4. Feedback

---

The Four Stages

Stage 1: Input

Input is the stage at which the performer receives information from the environment through the senses (sight, hearing, touch, proprioception).

• The performer's senses detect a huge amount of information — the position of teammates, the movement of opponents, the sound of a coach's instruction, the feel of the ball, crowd noise, and so on.
• There is far too much information to process all at once, so the performer uses selective attention to filter out the irrelevant information and focus on what matters.

Selective attention is the ability to focus on the relevant information while ignoring the irrelevant stimuli.

Relevant Information (Focus On)	Irrelevant Information (Filter Out)
The flight of the ball	Crowd noise
The position of the defender	Advertising boards
The coach's tactical instruction	The weather (unless directly affecting play)
The position of teammates	The scoreboard (in most situations)

Sporting Example: A goalkeeper facing a penalty must use selective attention to focus on the striker's body position, run-up angle, and the ball, while filtering out the noise of the crowd and the pressure of the situation.

Exam Tip: "Selective attention" is a key term that examiners look for. If you are asked about the input stage, always mention selective attention and explain that it involves filtering relevant from irrelevant information.

---

Stage 2: Decision Making

Decision making is the stage at which the performer interprets the information that has passed through selective attention and decides what to do. This involves the brain and memory.

The performer compares the current situation with past experiences stored in memory:

• Short-term memory — holds the current information temporarily while a decision is made.
• Long-term memory — stores past experiences, learned skills, and tactical knowledge that help the performer recognise patterns and make good decisions.

Sporting Example: A netball player receives the ball in the centre third. She sees (input) that the goal attack is free in the circle. Her brain compares this with past experience (decision making) and recognises this as a scoring opportunity. She decides to pass to the goal attack.

The quality of decision making depends on:

• Experience — more experienced performers have a larger store of relevant memories to draw upon.
• Level of arousal — optimal arousal improves decision making; too much or too little impairs it.
• Time available — more time generally allows better decisions.

---

Stage 3: Output

Output is the physical response — the actual movement carried out by the performer. The brain sends signals through the nervous system to the muscles, which contract to produce the required movement.

Sporting Example: Following the decision to pass, the netball player's brain sends signals to the muscles in her arms, shoulders, and hands, producing a chest pass to the goal attack.

The quality of the output depends on:

• The performer's skill level — a more skilled performer will execute the movement more effectively.
• The performer's physical abilities — strength, coordination, and flexibility affect the quality of the output.
• The quality of the decision — even a perfectly executed pass is wasted if it is directed to the wrong player.

---

Stage 4: Feedback

Feedback is the information the performer receives about the quality of their response. It can be received during or after the movement and can come from two sources:

Type	Source	Example
Intrinsic feedback	From within the performer's own body (how the movement felt)	A golfer knows the shot felt good the moment the club strikes the ball
Extrinsic feedback	From an external source (coach, video, crowd, results)	A coach tells the tennis player that her follow-through was too short

Feedback is essential because it allows the performer to:

• Evaluate whether the output was successful.
• Make corrections for next time.
• Build up experiences in long-term memory, improving future decision making.

Exam Tip: Feedback is sometimes called the "fourth stage" or the "feedback loop" because it feeds back into the input stage — the performer uses the feedback as new information, starting the process again.

---

The Information Processing Model — Box Diagram

You must be able to draw and label this model. The standard version looks like this: