Also called "working memory," short-term memory enables us to use information from our senses and from our memory and hold that information in our consciousness long enough to think about it.
A limited-capacity memory system that holds information in awareness for a brief period of time. go to glossary index
The second stage of memory, in which five to nine bits of information can be stored for brief periods of time.
the memory used for keeping information for periods of time up to a few seconds. See working memory
A memory that lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours; it is the kind of memory that is mostly likely to be forgotten several hours or longer. close window
The memory required to ‘hold' information in your head and/or manipulate it as you perform a task. Holding a telephone number in your head as you write it down is an example.
a limited-capacity system that holds and manipulates the
A system for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Short-term memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. See the entire definition of Short-term memory
See stage theory of memory.
The portion of memory where incoming information is encoded or interpreted in light of existing knowledge.
Also known as immediate memory or working memory, this is a phase of memory in which a limited amount of information may be held for several seconds to minutes. In general, up to 7 'chunks' of information are stored for about 20 seconds.
The component of the memory system has limited capacity and maintains information for only a brief time. See also long-term memory.
Short-term memory, sometimes referred to as "primary," "working," or "active" memory, is that part of memory which stores a limited amount of information for a few seconds. This can be contrasted to long-term memory, in which a seemingly unlimited amount of information is stored indefinitely. It can be described as the capacity (or capacities) for holding in mind, in an active, highly available state, a small amount of information.
