Final answer:
Working memory can store information for approximately 15 to 30 seconds. Short-term memory has a capacity near seven items, but more recent estimates suggest 4 plus or minus 1. Over time, memory retention decays, especially within the first 24 hours.
Step-by-step explanation:
Duration of Information in Working Memory
Items can typically be stored in working memory for approximately 15 to 30 seconds. This is analogous to the information temporarily displayed on a computer screen before it is either saved to long-term memory or discarded. The capacity of short-term memory, as originally noted by psychologist George Miller, is the 'magic number' 7 plus or minus 2, although more recent research suggests a revised estimate of 4 plus or minus 1. The retention of information in working memory decays rapidly, with substantial loss occurring within the first 20 minutes, and increasingly so after 24 hours as evidenced by the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve.
Short-term memory is affected by several factors, including memory trace decay, where the memory trace becomes less activated over time, and proactive interference from previously learned information. Both have a significant impact on the retention of information within the short-term memory system. In contrast to short-term memory, long-term memory may hold an unlimited amount of information, where the consolidation process at the synaptic level can take hours, and integration into the memory system can span weeks or longer.