A01

• What is the capacity of short-term memory (STM)?

  Limited information at one time
• How did Joseph Jacobs measure digit span?

  By having participants recall digits in order
• What was the mean digit span found by Jacobs?

  9.3 items
• What was the mean letter span found by Jacobs?

  7.3 items
• What did George Miller observe about everyday practice?

  Things often come in sevens
• What is Miller's proposed capacity for STM?

  About 7 items, plus or minus 2
• How can people recall five words as easily as five letters?

  By using chunking to group information
• What is chunking in memory recall?

  • Grouping sets of digits or letters
  • Helps increase recall capacity
  • Makes information easier to remember