Overview
This lecture covers the properties and limitations of short-term memory, including its duration, capacity, interference, and strategies to improve memory retention such as chunking and the use of acronyms.
Short-Term Memory: Basics & Limitations
- Short-term memory (STM) holds information briefly while it is being actively used.
- STM is limited in duration (how long info is retained) and space (amount of info held at once).
- Interference from competing stimuli negatively affects STM performance.
Experiments & Effects
- Memory tests examine STM duration (time given to recall) and capacity (amount to remember).
- Longer delays before recall and increased distractors both reduce memory performance.
- Memory decay occurs when information is not rehearsed, as shown by Ebbinghaus's research.
- Ebbinghaus identified the "retention curve," showing rapid information loss soon after learning.
Serial Position Effect: Primacy & Recency
- People recall first (primacy effect) and last (recency effect) items in a list best.
- Middle items are most likely to be forgotten due to limited rehearsal time and interference.
- Real-life examples: Remembering names, lecture content, and lists.
Capacity & Chunking
- Typical STM capacity is 7 (±2) items.
- Chunking (grouping items into meaningful units) increases effective memory capacity.
- Chunking can involve creating words, dates, or acronyms from information.
Acronyms, Anagrams, and Associations
- Acronyms (e.g., HOMES for the Great Lakes) help condense and remember multiple items.
- Anagrams combine information for easier recall.
- Creating personal associations (linking names with features) also aids memory retention.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Short-Term Memory (STM) — A memory system for holding information temporarily while it is used.
- Interference — Distraction or competing information that hampers memory retention.
- Decay (Ebbinghaus) — The fading of memory over time when not rehearsed.
- Primacy Effect — Tendency to remember the first items in a sequence best.
- Recency Effect — Tendency to remember the most recent or last items best.
- Chunking — Grouping separate pieces of information into larger, meaningful units.
- Acronym — A word formed from the first letters of a series of items.
- Anagram — A rearrangement of letters or data into meaningful words or phrases.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice chunking, creating acronyms, and making associations when studying new material.
- Prepare for the next lecture on long-term memory.