Information‐Processing and Cognition
John O. Greene, Helen M. Lillie · The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy · 2016
Abstract The domain of information‐processing and cognition is exceedingly broad and lends itself to analysis from a variety of perspectives. The focus of this entry is upon functionalist approaches to the area. Cognitive functionalism seeks to posit the structures and processes of the mind based upon observed input–output regularities. Three foundational assumptions of functionalist theorizing are discussed, the domain of application of such theories and the data used to construct and test those theories are described, and conceptions of elements of cognitive architecture that have proven most influential in theorizing about communication processes are reviewed.