Short Term Memory

Memory plays a crucial role in our lives. As you know, there are many deadlines, dates,
and names to remember. How do we remember them all? Where does the information
go? Memory also plays a very important part in learning. Intelligence is fundamentally
based on memory. Learning means a change that causes a system to act differently on the
basis of what is contained within it. Our memories are constantly changing. To
understand how we learn, it is necessary to learn how we store information.

How the memory works is not exactly understood. Before I discuss the different
theorists and their ideas on how our memory system works, I will explain the basic areas
of our memory. Memory is the retention of information and how a person retrieves
information. Memory is essential for intelligent behavior. Without memory, learning
would be impossible.
Memories are generally formed by chemical changes in the nerve cells and the
pathways in the brain that are involved with the memory process. The parts of the brain
that are concerned with memory are the hippocampus, cortex, and thalamus. Everytime
someone learns something new, new pathways are created.(Howe, 1983)
There is two types of memory which are motor-skill memory and factual memory.
Motor-skill memory obviously refers to remembering how to walk , run, etc. Factual
memory refers to remembering telephone numbers, names, different places, etc.

There is three levels of memory in which input travels; sensory memory, short-term
memory, and long-term memory. The sensory memory absorbs things going on around
you. Sensory memory refers to the input that is taken in through a human’s five senses
(eyes, ears, nose, taste, and touch). Information is kept here for a brief second. If the
information gets attention, it gets passed on to the short-term memory. If the information
does not get attention, then the information is ignored.(Howe, 1983)
The short-term memory is where information gets passed to after the sensory memory.
The short-term memory is also refereed to as the working memory. This is where
information is temporarily stored. The STM has a limited capacity and a limited duration.
The STM can basically hold seven items at a time and no longer then thirty seconds. The
only way time is extended is through repetition. As you add new items the earlier ones
drop off. Due to the limited capacity of the STM, the amount of information received by
the long-term memory is limited. The information used by the short-term memory will be
sent to the long-term memory.(Rosenfield, 1988)
To help students remember more then seven items, there is a method called chunking.
This method groups items together in groups in order for a student to recall more
information. For example, if there is 14 letters (such as on the handout), the letters can be
combined in groups of seven. (refer to handout)
The long-term memory is where information is permanently stored by repetition or
links to already existing information. Information can be stored here for a few months or
for the rest of your life. Research has shown that information exists longer if it is
associated with already existing information.(Rosenfield, 1988)
The first major break in the study of memorization was made by Hermann
Ebbinghaus(1850-1909). Until this time, philosophers believed that memorizing processes
could not be measured or experimented on. Through experimentation on himself, he
concluded that there is a process to memory and there is a forgetting curve. His three
theories of forgetting were; the earlier the images are more and more overlaid, so to
speak, and covered by the later ones, the persisting images suffer changes which more and
more affect their nature, and crumbling into parts and the loss of separate components
instead of general obscuration. (Baddeley, 1976, pg. 4)
Ebbinghaus also researched the capacity of human memory. He used a method in
which he created called the saving method. This is a technique which he estimated the
amount of material retained by measuring the difficulty of relearning it. (Baddeley, 1976,
pg.5)
Ebbinghaus created many theories and experiments that will be used by other theorists
in the future. Ebbinghaus moved on to different subject areas and never concluded a
theory from his experiments on memory.(Baine,1986)
Baretlett used some of Ebbinghaus’ theories and concluded that when we attempt to
learn something, we base it on what we already know from our past experiences.

There are two theorist that focus on forgetting, which puts limits on memory. Freud’s
theory is based on repression. If the information that is coming in