Short Term Memory

Short Term Memory

1. Capacity

   • We can measure the capacity of the STM by using the Digit Span Technique
     • Jacobs, 1887
     • A method of measuring the capacity of STM by asking people to remember and repeat ever long lists of digits

2. Increasing Capacity

   • Chunking
     • Miller, 1956
   • Chunking of phrases
     • Simon, 1974

3. Conclusions of Capacity

   • Capacity of STM = 7+-2
     • It is limited
   • Does not matter about size but number of chunks, i.e. organising items of information into groups
     • Meaning is more important than segments - i.e. easier with words than numbers
   • Need to make sufficient use of the STM limited capacity

4. Duration

   • Peterson and Peterson, 1959
     • Married - she used to be Brown
   • Trigram study
     • Using sets of 3 constants (trigrams) or nonsense syllables
       • Inference task - counting backwards in threes

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