Question

Which of the following most accurately depicts the range of an average person's short-term memory capacity?

a. Lasts for about 2 days in most circumstances
b. Lasts for less than half a minute unless you rehearse the information
c. Is thought to be unlimited-there is always room for more information
d. Can handle about a half dozen items for each of the tasks you are working on at any time
e. Can handle about a half dozen items total

Answer 1

The range of an average person's short-term memory capacity is between 5 and 9 items. Short-term memory storage lasts for about 15 to 30 seconds before the information is either transferred to long-term memory or forgotten. Long-term memory has an unlimited storage capacity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The capacity of an average person's short-term memory is generally between 5 and 9 items, known as the "magic number" 7 plus or minus 2 according to George Miller's research. However, more recent research suggests that working memory capacity is closer to 4 plus or minus 1. Short-term memory storage lasts for about 15 to 30 seconds before the information is either transferred to long-term memory or forgotten.

Short-term memory is like the information displayed on a computer screen, while long-term memory is the continuous storage of information that happened more than a few minutes ago. Long-term memory is believed to have an unlimited storage capacity, while short-term memory is limited and can hold about 5 to 9 items.