Final answer:
The approach to studying cognitive development that involves how the brain processes information is known as the information-processing approach. This approach is key to cognitive psychology, focusing on human thinking, particularly encoding and retrieval of information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The approach to studying cognitive development that explores how the brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information is the information-processing approach. Cognitive psychology, which is the branch of psychology that focuses on the study of human thinking, applies the information-processing model to understand how people process and manage the vast amount of information they encounter daily. This approach lays emphasis on the ways individuals attend to, perceive, remember, think about, and manage information in their environment.
Encoding is the process by which we get information into our brains. Through encoding, our brains label or code sensory information, and we organize it with other similar information, connecting new concepts to existing concepts. There are three types of encoding: visual, acoustic, and semantic. According to studies by Fergus Craik and Endel Tulving, semantic processing, which asks about the meaning of words, typically results in the best retention of verbal information.
Retrieval is the act of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This process is crucial for recalling information that has been encoded and stored, for instance, when taking a final exam.