What is Empiricism

This is the first of three chapters serving as the introduction to this handbook which addresses the relationship between human cognition and assistive technologies and its design for individuals with cognitive disabilities. In this chapter the authors introduce the human information processing system. They discuss the modal model of memory, a basic framework offering the most popular explanations behind the active processes used in the construction of new knowledge. In doing so, the authors examine the three memory stores comprising the modal model which are responsible for the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information. The authors then discuss ways in which to increase learning. Altogether, they present the approach that technology for learning should be created with an understanding of design principles empirically grounded in the study of how the human mind works, particularly when it comes to the design of assistive technologies for individuals with learning disabilities.