Mental Capacity

Short-term memory is the mental capacity to hold a small amount of information in an active, readily accessible state for a short period

Duration

Short-term memory has a limited duration of around 20 to 30 seconds

Function

Short-term memory serves as a workspace for the mind, processing and temporarily storing information that can be encoded into long-term memory

Acoustic Encoding

Information is primarily encoded acoustically in short-term memory, often converted into a sound-based format

Evidence of Acoustic Encoding

Conrad's 1964 Research

Conrad's research showed that people struggle more to remember acoustically similar sounds, indicating that even visual information is often encoded acoustically in short-term memory

Potential Confusion

Acoustic encoding in short-term memory can lead to confusion between similar-sounding items

George Miller's Concept of 'The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two'

According to Miller, individuals can hold about seven items in their short-term memory, but this capacity can be increased through chunking

Chunking

Chunking involves grouping information into larger, coherent units, allowing for the recall of more complex sequences

Recent Studies on Capacity

Recent studies suggest that the true capacity of short-term memory may be closer to four distinct chunks of information

Ephemeral Nature

Short-term memory is prone to decay or displacement by new information if not actively maintained

Peterson and Peterson's 1959 Study

Peterson and Peterson's study showed that without rehearsal, memory for three-letter sequences deteriorated rapidly, highlighting the necessity of mental repetition or other forms of maintenance

Effective Strategies for Improving Short-term Memory

Strategies such as chunking and mnemonic devices can improve short-term memory by organizing information into larger groups and utilizing the brain's propensity to remember visual and tangible information