About Short-Term Memory

Short-term memory, also known as active memory, is a type of memory responsible for temporarily holding onto and manipulating information. We’re talking really short-term. Information is stored for 15-30 seconds. Maybe a bit more or less. Anything remembered beyond that is a long-term memory.

Short-term memory is essential for everyday functioning; it is used for things like:

• Remembering the name of someone you just met
• Recalling why you opened the refrigerator door
• Remembering the great idea you just had long enough to write it down
• Remembering what you just read in the previous bullet point
• Remembering information needed to sustain a conversation

The capacity of short-term memory was thought to be in the range of 5 to 9 chunks of information¹ but more recent research indicates the limit is around 4 pieces of information