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.

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2
Q

How many items does research indicate the STM can hold?

A

5-9 items

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3
Q

How can the capacity of the STM be increased?

A

By chunking

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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.

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5
Q

Who tested the STM capacity with the Serial Digit Span method?

A

Jacobs (1887)

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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.
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