short-term memory

Memory {short-term memory}| (STM) {active memory} {primary memory} {working memory} {activity-dependent memory} can rehearse immediate memories, hold memories in consciousness, assist long-term memory, and decay in minutes to hours. Short-term memory puts objects and events in sequence to coordinate acquisition and retrieval.

properties: chunks

Short-term memory holds data chunks. Short-term memory holds 30 bits. People can remember chunks of three, if they must remember sequence. People can remember chunks of six or seven if there is no order [Cowan, 2001] [Miller, 1956] [Riddoch and Humphreys, 1995] [Shallice, 1988] [Sternberg, 1966] [Vallar and Shallice, 1990].

properties: interference

STM can have semantic interference.

biology: cells

Short-term memory involves no cell changes or protein synthesis.

biology: drugs

Amphetamine and strychnine affect short-term memory.

biology: brain

Prefrontal cortex neurons hold short-term memories for objects, locations, or both [Baddeley, 1986] [Baddeley, 1990] [Baddeley, 2000].

factors: age

Old age or brain damage does not affect short-term memory.

factors: language

Language production and comprehension require short-term memory.

working memory

Phonological loop stores sounds with meaning, such as spoken words. Visuospatial sketchpad stores images, such as faces and scenes. Working memory encodes attended content from sensory memory for non-conscious storage into long-term memory or other processing, such as sentence comprehension, and integrates content activated from long-term memory. Working memory holds content being actively processed, including conscious and near-conscious experiences and recently attended content, and includes perceptual and semantic representations. Working memory includes a goal-driven controller to determine which process to perform. Attention is part of working memory, or working memory holds attended conscious content {focus, Baddeley} [Baddeley, 1986] [Baddeley, 1990] [Baddeley, 2000].

Related Topics in Table of Contents

Social Sciences>Psychology>Cognition>Memory>Kinds

Whole Section in One File

6-Psychology-Cognition-Memory-Kinds

Drawings

Drawings

Contents and Indexes of Topics, Names, and Works

Outline of Knowledge Database Home Page

Contents

Glossary

Topic Index

Name Index

Works Index

Searching

Search Form

Database Information, Disclaimer, Privacy Statement, and Rights

Description of Outline of Knowledge Database

Notation

Disclaimer

Copyright Not Claimed

Privacy Statement

References and Bibliography

Consciousness Bibliography

Technical Information

Date Modified: 2022.0224