Question

The short-term memory capacity (digit-span) in a normal adult is about:

A. 9 items.

B. 7 or 8 items.

C. 14 or 15 items.

D. 4 or 5 items.

Answer 1

The short-term memory capacity in a normal adult is typically about 7 plus or minus 2 items. Research has shown that recall is often better for random numbers compared to random letters, and it is generally slightly better for information heard than information seen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The short-term memory capacity, also known as digit-span, in a normal adult is typically about 7 plus or minus 2 items.

This means that, on average, adults can retain between 5 and 9 items in their short-term memory.

Research has shown that recall is often better for random numbers compared to random letters, and it is generally slightly better for information heard (acoustic encoding) than information seen (visual encoding).