Basic information processing — AQA GCSE Physical Education
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Basic information processing explained
Basic information processing covers 7 specification points, including Basic information processing model The role of… and Input – information from the display (senses),….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Basic information processing model The role of each stage (input, decision making, output and feedback) of the model.
The basic information processing model describes how a performer takes in information, chooses a response, carries it out and learns from the result. Input is the information detected from the environment, such as seeing a ball approaching. Decision making is selecting the appropriate response, for example choosing to pass rather than shoot. Output is the physical action produced, such as executing the pass. Feedback is information received about the outcome, from the performer's own senses or from a coach, which informs future input and decisions. The stages link in sequence, and feedback loops back to influence later performance. In an MCQ you may be asked to match a described situation to the correct stage or to identify the role of a named stage.
Input – information from the display (senses), selective attention.
Input is the first stage of the basic information processing model. The performer takes in information from the display — the sporting environment — through the senses, mainly sight and hearing, and sometimes touch and kinaesthesis. Because the senses receive far more information than the brain can act on, the performer uses selective attention: filtering out irrelevant cues and concentrating on the important ones. A netball centre waiting for a pass might focus on the ball and the movement of the feeder while ignoring crowd noise. Selective attention improves with practice and can be trained by using relevant cues in drills.
Decision making – selection of appropriate response from memory. The role of long term and short term memory.
Decision making is the second stage of the basic information processing model. Having taken in information through the senses, the performer selects an appropriate response from memory. Short term memory holds a small amount of information for a brief time and is where the current situation is compared with past experience; long term memory stores learned skills and past experiences over a long period and supplies the options for action. A hockey player who sees a defender commit can recall a previously learned dodge from long term memory and choose it as the response. Effective decision making depends on both stores working together, and it improves as relevant experience builds.
Output – information sent to muscles to carry out the response.
In the basic information-processing model, output is the stage that follows input, decision making and the sending of the decision along the nervous system. Output means the information that travels to the muscles so they can carry out the response the performer has chosen. For example, a netball player sees a teammate free near the shooting circle (input), decides to pass (decision making), and the message reaches the arm and shoulder muscles so they contract and release the ball (output). The muscles are the effectors that produce the observable movement. Output is therefore the link between a decision and the actual action, and it is the movement itself that a coach can see and assess.
Feedback – received via self (intrinsic) and/or others (extrinsic).
Feedback is the information a performer receives about their performance, and it comes from two sources. Intrinsic feedback, also called self feedback, comes from the performer's own senses and body awareness, such as feeling that a golf swing was off balance or sensing the ball leave the hand cleanly. Extrinsic feedback, also called feedback from others, comes from outside the performer, such as a coach's comment, a teammate's shout, crowd noise or a scoreboard. A performer can use both at once: a gymnast may feel a wobble (intrinsic) and also hear the coach's correction (extrinsic). Feedback closes the information-processing loop because it informs the next input and helps the performer adjust the response.
Draw (in a box format) and/or explain the stages of a basic model of information processing.
The basic model of information processing describes how a performer takes in information, decides what to do and then acts. It has three stages shown as boxes joined by arrows. Input is the information detected by the senses, for example a netballer seeing a teammate move into space. Decision making is where the brain selects a response, such as choosing a chest pass. Output is the action the muscles produce, the pass itself. Feedback then travels back to the performer and can be used to adjust the next attempt, so the loop repeats. In a box-format diagram, draw three labelled boxes with arrows flowing input to decision making to output, and a feedback arrow returning to the start. An explanation should name each stage in order and say what happens at it, using a sporting example to make the process concrete.
Students should be taught to apply the basic information processing model to skills from sporting examples.
Applying the model means taking a real skill and showing how input, decision making, output and feedback operate within it. Choose a specific skill, such as a tennis serve or a football pass. Identify the input: what the performer sees, hears or feels, for example the position of an opponent or the flight of the ball. Identify the decision making: the choice of response, such as which type of pass to play or where to place the serve. Identify the output: the movement the muscles produce, the strike or the throw. Then identify feedback: what the performer notices after the action, such as the ball landing short, and how that informs the next attempt. A strong answer names each stage and links it explicitly to the chosen skill rather than describing the model in the abstract.
Your focus
- Name the four stages of the basic information processing model in order.
- Describe the role of each stage: input, decision making, output and feedback.
- Match a sporting example to the correct stage of the model.
Show all 21 objectives
- Define input as information received from the display through the senses.
- Explain how selective attention filters relevant from irrelevant information.
- Apply input and selective attention to a named sporting example.
- Define decision making as selecting an appropriate response from memory.
- Distinguish short term memory from long term memory by duration and role.
- Apply decision making and memory to a named sporting situation.
- Define output as the information sent to muscles to carry out the response.
- Place output correctly within the information-processing sequence.
- Apply output to a sporting example showing muscles producing a movement.
- Distinguish intrinsic feedback received via the self from extrinsic feedback received via others.
- Give a sporting example of each source of feedback.
- Explain how feedback informs the next input in the information-processing model.
- Identify the three stages of the basic information processing model
- Describe what happens at each stage in the correct order
- Apply the model to a sporting example and include feedback
- Apply each stage of the information processing model to a named sporting skill
- Explain how feedback informs the next attempt in that skill
- Distinguish input, decision making and output within a concrete example
Basic information processing exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies input as the information taken in from the environment through the senses.
- Recognises decision making as the stage where the performer selects an appropriate response.
- Matches output to the physical action or movement produced by the performer.
- Explains feedback as information about the outcome that informs future performance.
- Places the stages in the correct sequence of input, decision making, output and feedback.
- Identifies input as information taken from the display through the senses.
- States that selective attention filters relevant information from irrelevant information.
- Explains that selective attention helps the performer concentrate on important cues in the display.
- Gives a sporting example in which a performer ignores a distraction and attends to a key cue.
- Defines decision making as selecting an appropriate response from memory.
- Describes short term memory as holding a limited amount of information for a short time.
- Describes long term memory as storing learned skills and past experiences over a long period.
- Explains that long term memory provides the options from which the response is selected.
- Applies decision making and memory to a sporting example.
- Identifies output as the information sent to the muscles to carry out the response.
- States that the muscles act as the effectors that produce the movement.
- Places output after decision making in the information-processing sequence.
- Links output to an observable action such as a pass, jump or strike.
- Distinguishes output from input, which is the information received by the senses.
- Identifies intrinsic feedback as feedback received via the self.
- Identifies extrinsic feedback as feedback received via others.
- States that a performer can receive both intrinsic and extrinsic feedback.
- Gives a correct example of intrinsic feedback such as feeling a movement.
- Gives a correct example of extrinsic feedback such as a coach's comment.
- Names input, decision making and output as the three stages of the basic model
- Places the stages in the correct order with input first and output last
- Explains that input is information detected by the senses from the environment
- Explains that decision making is the process of selecting an appropriate response
- Explains that output is the physical action produced by the muscles
- Describes feedback as information returning to the performer to inform future responses
- Draws a box-format diagram with labelled boxes and arrows linking the stages in sequence
- Selects a specific sporting skill rather than a vague activity
- Identifies the input as the information the performer detects in that skill
- Identifies the decision making as the choice of response made in that skill
- Identifies the output as the movement produced by the muscles in that skill
- Identifies feedback as information gained after the action and used to adjust the next attempt
- Links each stage explicitly to the chosen skill rather than describing the model in general terms
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the described situation and ask what is being received, chosen, performed or reviewed before selecting a stage.
- 💡Remember the order input, decision making, output, feedback and use it to eliminate options.
- 💡Check whether the question asks for the role of a stage or an example of it, and answer that specific demand.
- 💡Link each option back to the model stage: input comes before decision making and output.
- 💡Use a named sport and a specific cue when justifying an answer about selective attention.
- 💡Reject options that describe muscular movement, as these belong to output rather than input.
- 💡Distinguish the two memory stores by duration and capacity when choosing between options.
- 💡Tie the chosen response to a specific cue from the display to show decision making in context.
- 💡Eliminate options that describe the execution of a skill, as these belong to output.
- 💡Learn the sequence input, decision making, output and feedback so you can place output correctly.
- 💡Use a sporting example such as a badminton smash to show the message reaching the arm muscles.
- 💡Read the question carefully to check whether it asks about output or about the whole processing model.
- 💡Use the words self and others to anchor the meaning of intrinsic and extrinsic.
- 💡Give one clear example of each source in your answer to show understanding.
- 💡Link feedback back to the start of the model to show how it informs the next input.
- 💡Learn the three stages in order and be ready to label a diagram as well as describe them
- 💡Attach one clear sporting example to each stage so the explanation is concrete
- 💡Mention feedback as the link that returns information to the performer
- 💡Use the exact stage names input, decision making and output rather than vague wording
- 💡Pick one skill and apply all stages to it consistently
- 💡State clearly what the performer sees, hears or feels as the input
- 💡Explain the decision as a choice between options, not just the action itself
- 💡Show how feedback changes what the performer does next time
Common Mistakes
- Swaps input and output; keep input as information coming in and output as the action going out.
- Treats feedback as a separate model rather than a stage that loops back to influence later input and decisions.
- Describes decision making as the movement itself; keep decision making as the selection of a response and output as the action performed.
- Confuses input with decision making; keep input as the sensing stage that precedes any choice of response.
- Treats selective attention as taking in all information; correct this by stating that it filters out irrelevant cues.
- Names only sight as a sense; include hearing and other senses such as touch or kinaesthesis where relevant.
- Places decision making before input; keep input as the sensing stage that feeds decision making.
- Describes long term memory as brief or limited; correct this by stating that it holds learned skills and experiences over a long period.
- Treats decision making as a physical action; keep it as the mental selection of a response, with movement belonging to output.
- Confuses output with input; remember that input is information taken in by the senses, whereas output is the message sent to the muscles.
- Treats output as the decision itself; keep decision making separate, because output is the message that carries out the chosen response.
- Names the brain as the structure that carries out the movement; state that the muscles are the effectors that produce the response.
- Reverses the two sources; remember that intrinsic comes from the self and extrinsic comes from others.
- Assumes only one source can operate at a time; state that a performer can receive both together.
- Treats a scoreboard or crowd as intrinsic; classify anything from outside the performer as extrinsic.
- Lists the stages in the wrong order; place input before decision making and output last
- Omits feedback from the model; add a feedback arrow returning to the start of the loop
- Describes output as the decision itself; keep output as the physical action produced by muscles
- Gives no sporting example; attach each stage to a concrete skill such as a pass or a shot
- Describes the model in general terms without naming a skill; anchor every stage to one specific skill
- Confuses input with output; keep input as information detected and output as the physical action
- Treats feedback as a separate fourth stage in the sequence; show feedback returning to inform the next input and decision
- Chooses a whole sport rather than a skill; narrow the example to one skill such as a pass or a serve