In this task, most people remember about seven digits in the same order. It has been used on numerous occasions to study short-term memory. How many numbers have you been able to remember? This type of task is known as a digit span. As soon as you have read them, try to remember each set of numbers in the same order before moving on to the next set. Can you remember the numbers in the same order? Well, let’s try more numbers. Read aloud the following numbers: 7293 and then cover them with a piece of paper. How much information can we store thanks to short-term memory? And for how long? To answer these questions, we are going to use the following exercise: 1.
We need short-term memory to keep the number in our mind for as long as it takes us to write it down or dial it on our phone. Another example would be when someone gives us their phone number. We use short-term memory many times in our daily lives. Without short-term memory, by the time you had reached the last word of the sentence, you would probably have forgotten the first word you read. Short-term memory is a system that allows us to store a limited amount of information for a short period of time.įor example, short-term memory has made it possible for you to be able to read the previous sentence and understand its meaning. What is short-term memory? How is it different from long-term memory? In the following article, we will try to answer these and other questions with practical examples and everyday situations.