and technology adoption points to the importance of ensuring that system interfaces are well designed and easy to use. The use of information processing theory in cognition looks at the role of the three stages of memory related to retrieving, transferring, and recalling information. Cognitive information processing focuses on different aspects of instruction and how those aspects can either facilitate or hinder learning and memory. It emphasizes using strategies that focus the learner's attention, promotes encoding and retrieval, and provide for meaningful, effective practice across learning environments and curriculum. Compensatory technologies Compensatory systems can be used to support cognitive aging and impairment and thereby improve performance. They range from simple home reminder systems to sophisticated robotic support systems. While there are numerous technological interventions at present being developed, there continues to be an increase in the amount of research and work that focuses on providing compensatory support for a number of executive functional impairments for the elderly. Early work on prospective memory aids and assistive devices investigated the application of commonplace technologies which were inexpensive, easy to use, and invoked no social stigma. Due to the inherent limitations of such devices, there was a need to design effective, portable memory aid devices that provide cues and relevant information. Listed below are some of the information technologies that have been developed: The future of information technology lies in creating context-dependent devices that respond to the user's physical and social environment. For example, if the device was aware of the user’s location, it could give reminders relevant to that location. Information about the user’s environment might also provide clues to the device on what reminders might be important or unnecessary. Social cues might allow the device to know when a reminder would be inappropriate, such as when the user is talking with another person and might not want to be interrupted. Information processing theory Information processing theory is an approach used to study cognitive development that evolved out of the American experimental tradition in psychology. Developmental psychologists who adopt the information-processing perspective account for mental development in terms of maturational changes in basic components of a child’s mind. The theory is based on the idea that humans process the information they receive, rather than merely responding to stimuli. This perspective equates the mind to a computer, which is responsible for analyzing information from the environment. According to the standard information-processing model for