Information Theory – Understanding ADD/ADHD

Information Theory – Understanding ADD/ADHD

In a broad sense, information is processed, structured and organised data. It gives meaning to data and allows successful decision making. For instance, a single consumer’s sale at a restaurant is multiple data- it becomes data when the company is able to categorise the best or worst dish. Thus, information systems are very important to help companies to process large amounts of data that must be processed quickly and with high accuracy.

Information theory postulates that conscious minds and subconscious minds can co-exist on the same platform, where conscious decisions are made using information that is available to the person’s mind at the time. According to information theory, individuals make causal inputs into their environment and these inputs can be affected by psychological or physical processes. The information is then processed through the conscious mind to create a meaningful output and then it is passed down to the subconscious mind for further processing. Information is again processed through the unconscious mind, to provide the final output.

It is useful to remember that all information is information according to this theory. It is possible to construct an intelligent computer using information theory. The computer does not know how to process information, it simply receives and stores information and processes it in accordance with its memory. Thus, while information theory is useful for building computers, it is irrelevant to the way we process information in our brains.

Information theory postulates that humans use more than one type of processing (conscious and unconscious) when making their decision. A decision that has been made may have been influenced by information stored in the unconscious or the conscious mind. Processing power is not necessarily distributed equally across the brain. Some areas are better at processing information than others. Thus, information processed in one area does not necessarily affect another. This information processing is called information overload and is what is responsible for the ADD/ADHD disorder.

The information theory postulates that humans use two types of information processing. One type of information processing involves the conscious mind, which may store or retrieve information consciously. Information that has been processed consciously can be retrieved by re-experiencing the same information. The second type of information processing is called unconscious information processing. The unconscious mind does not store information and cannot access information stored in the conscious mind.

This information theory is useful if you wish to investigate the relationship between ADD/ADHD and your child’s diet, medication, behavior and environment. In addition, the theory is helpful if you wish to understand ADD/ADHD and help your child change the symptoms. Remember that any health condition should be treated as a whole and not as components of a complex picture.