Short term memory Flashcards
1
Q
How much storage capacity does the STM have?
A
A limited capacity, as only small amount of information is held in the store.
2
Q
How many items does research indicate the STM can hold?
A
5-9 items
3
Q
How can the capacity of the STM be increased?
A
By chunking
4
Q
What is chunking?
A
When letters or numbers are bunched into groups which increases the number of things that can the held by the STM.
The STM can hold 5-9 of these groups.
5
Q
Who tested the STM capacity with the Serial Digit Span method?
A
Jacobs (1887)
6
Q
What was involved in Jacobs’ serial digit span method?
A
- Participants were presented with increasingly long lists of numbers/letters and had to recall them in the right order
- When participants failed on 50% of tasks, they were judged to have reached their capacity.