Short-term memory (STM)

DURATION OF STM Short-term memory can be pictured as a note pad where you scribble things down to remember them briefly.  Short-term memories don't last very long - about 20-30 seconds.  You can make a short-term memory last longer by rehearsing it. An example of STM in action would be trying to remember a phone number that yu have just been given. You would maintain this information by repetition until the number is dialled, and then when you no longer need it, it would fade away.  The result of verbal rehearsal is the maintainance of a memory or piece of information.  Lloyd & Margaret Peterson (1959) studied the duration of STM by enlisting the help of 24 university students. Their recall was tested by giving them a nonsent trigram (i.e., WRT 303) and then asking them to count backwards in 3s or 4s until asked to stop. The participant was then asked to recall the trigram. By counting backwards, the participants were unable to rehearse the nonsense trigram. Each participant was given 2 practise trials and…