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| Classifying Memories by Capacity |
Classifying Memories by Capacity
Different types of memory also have distinct capacities.
Working memory
Working memory coincides with immediate-term memory, and serves as your workshop for conscious thought. The finite capacity of working memory is a key factor in your ability to ponder events in the world around you. A classic study in applied psychology by George Miller demonstrated that the average person is capable of keeping track of just seven bits of information at the same time. A few people can regularly keep track of a few more items; some people can only keep track of four or five items at a time, but working-memory in the average person is limited to seven items. This simple property of working-memory puts severe constraints on our thinking processes.
The limit of seven working-memory registers is very restrictive, but it is a fact of life.
To convince yourself that this is true, try a few simple experiments. Check the license plates of parked cars as you walk down a street. How many cars can you pass before you start to forget some of the license plate numbers? Read the titles of several books in a row on a library shelf, how many can you remember? Roll a pair of dice a few times and mentally note the numbers rolled, then try to recall the numbers in sequence.
Working-memory in the conscious mind is analogous to the memory registers in a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) . There are usually just a few dozen memory registers in a CPU. These few registers are used over and over again as data is brought into the CPU, item by item, from billions of more permanent memory registers.
Other memory banks
There have been no definitive measures of the capacities of short, medium, or longterm memories. People have the ability to memorize long poems, passages from several books, and statistics from sports leagues and are then able to quote from their memories at will. We each have a whole lifetime of memories that we can call on at any time.
Medium and long-term memory seem to have unlimited capacities. It may be more difficult to get items into medium and long-term memories, but once there, your brain serves as a vast warehouse to store those memories.
Different types of memory also have distinct capacities.
Working memory
Working memory coincides with immediate-term memory, and serves as your workshop for conscious thought. The finite capacity of working memory is a key factor in your ability to ponder events in the world around you. A classic study in applied psychology by George Miller demonstrated that the average person is capable of keeping track of just seven bits of information at the same time. A few people can regularly keep track of a few more items; some people can only keep track of four or five items at a time, but working-memory in the average person is limited to seven items. This simple property of working-memory puts severe constraints on our thinking processes.
The limit of seven working-memory registers is very restrictive, but it is a fact of life.
To convince yourself that this is true, try a few simple experiments. Check the license plates of parked cars as you walk down a street. How many cars can you pass before you start to forget some of the license plate numbers? Read the titles of several books in a row on a library shelf, how many can you remember? Roll a pair of dice a few times and mentally note the numbers rolled, then try to recall the numbers in sequence.
Working-memory in the conscious mind is analogous to the memory registers in a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) . There are usually just a few dozen memory registers in a CPU. These few registers are used over and over again as data is brought into the CPU, item by item, from billions of more permanent memory registers.
Other memory banks
There have been no definitive measures of the capacities of short, medium, or longterm memories. People have the ability to memorize long poems, passages from several books, and statistics from sports leagues and are then able to quote from their memories at will. We each have a whole lifetime of memories that we can call on at any time.
Medium and long-term memory seem to have unlimited capacities. It may be more difficult to get items into medium and long-term memories, but once there, your brain serves as a vast warehouse to store those memories.
