Final answer:
Short-term memory is a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory and lasts for 15 to 30 seconds.
Step-by-step explanation:
Short-term memory (STM) is a temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory. Short-term memory takes information from sensory memory and sometimes connects that memory to something already in long-term memory. Short-term memory storage lasts 15 to 30 seconds. The memory system used to hold small amounts of information for relatively brief time periods is called short-term memory (STM). This system acts as a temporary holding area for sensory information, processing it and determining whether it will be discarded or moved on to long-term memory for permanent storage. STM typically retains information for about 15 to 30 seconds, functioning similarly to how a computer uses RAM to temporarily hold data that is currently in use. Information in STM might be encoded visually or acoustically, and it can hold approximately seven bits of data. In the model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch, the concept of working memory includes STM but further divides it into multiple components, such as the visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer, and phonological loop, which are controlled by a central executive that manages the flow of information.