What general categories of functions are specified by computer instruction?

The basic function preformed by computer is execution of program The processor interprets the instruction and performs the required action. In general, these actions fall into four categories.

Processor-Memory :

Data may be transferred from processor to memory or from memory to processor.

Processor-I/O  :

 Data may be transferred to or from a peripheral device by transferring between the processor and an I/O module.

Data Processing  :

The processor may perform some arithmetic or logic operation on data.

Control  :

An instruction may specify that the sequence of execution be altered.