Final answer:
Short-term memory (STM) is a temporary buffer in our memory system that holds information for 15 to 30 seconds, allowing for possible transfer to long-term memory. It can hold about seven bits of information and is influenced by decay and interference. The Atkinson-Shiffrin model highlights STM as a crucial middle stage between sensory input and long-term memory storage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Short-Term Memory (STM)
Short-term memory (STM) is a crucial stage in the human memory model where information is held temporarily. It acts as a buffer for stimuli received through sensory memory before these memories are either transferred to long-term memory or forgotten. According to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory, initially proposed in 1968, memory processing involves three key stages: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.
STM plays a vital role by holding information for about 15 to 30 seconds and can typically retain about seven bits of information. It sometimes links new sensory information to existing knowledge in long-term memory. Encoding in STM is predominantly auditory, but it can also involve visual and semantic encoding. The role of STM can be likened to the data currently displayed on a computer screen, which is either saved for long-term usage or closed and erased when no longer needed.
Memory retention in STM is influenced by factors such as memory trace decay, where memories fade over time if not activated, and proactive interference, where prior learning affects new memory formation. Information in STM must go through the process of consolidation to move into long-term memory, which is an unlimited storage system for information retrieved from the short-term memory.