Jacobs 1887 STM capactity

• What is the focus of research on capacity in psychology?

  Capacity of short-term memory (STM)
• What method did Joseph Jacobs use to measure digit span?

  Participants recall digits read out loud
• How does the digit span test indicate an individual's capacity?

  By increasing digits until recall fails
• What was the mean digit span found by Jacobs across participants?

  9.3
• What was the mean span for letters found by Jacobs?

  7.3
• What is the significance of digit span in short-term memory research?

  • Measures capacity of short-term memory
  • Indicates how much information can be held
  • Helps understand memory limitations