memory- Jacob 1887 capacity of STM

What is the function of STM

It stores information for a short period of time while we complete an ongoing task.

What is the duration and capacity of STM

Limited duration of 18-30 seconds.

Limited capacity- we find it difficult to focus on more than one task at a time.

What is the main coding used in STM

The main code is the acoustic code, but semantic coding is also used.

What did Jacobs (1887) investigate and how?

Jacobs conducted a digit span test to examine the capacity of STM.

He showed participants random strings of letters or digits and asked them to repeat them in the correct order. He gradually increased the length of the string to find the maximum number participants could recall correctly.

What were Jacobs' findings on the capacity of STM?

Most participants could recall around 7 items.Jacobs concluded the capacity of STM is 7 ± 2 digits or letters.

What does Jacobs' study show about STM?

It provides evidence that the capacity of short-term memory is limited, specifically 7 ± 2 items.

What is chunking and how does it relate to STM?

Chunking is the process of combining information into one or more meaningful chunks.It greatly improves the capacity of short-term memory.

How did Miller expand on Jacobs' findings?

Miller found that the capacity of STM is 7 ± 2 chunks, using letter and digit span tests.