Duration In Memory AO1

• STM

  Short-term memory
• PETERSON+PETERSON study on STM duration


  1. Participants given a trigram

  2. Asked to count backwards for a specified time

  3. Asked to recall the original trigram
• After 3 seconds with rehearsal, recall was about 80%, after 18 seconds it was about 3%
• Sensory memory


  Memory of sensory information immediately after it is perceived
• SPERLING study on sensory memory duration


  1. Presented a grid of digits and letters for a short time

  2. Asked participants to write down what they saw
• Sensory memory decays rapidly, suggesting its duration is limited
• LTM

  Long-term memory
• BAHRICK study on LTM duration


  1. Asked 17-74 year olds to name people in their high school yearbooks

  2. In two conditions: matching names and faces, and free recall
• Matching names to faces - Within 15 years of graduating, accuracy was 90%, after 48 years it was 70%. Free recall - after 15 years it was 60%, and after 48 years it was 30%
• The duration of LTM is potentially unlimited