short-term memory

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Definition

Noun: * Short-term memory refers to the brain's system for temporarily holding and processing a limited amount of information. It is the capacity to retain a small number of items (like words, numbers, or images) for a brief period, typically a few seconds to a minute, without rehearsal. It is crucial for immediate tasks like understanding a sentence or dialing a phone number you've just been told.

Usage

Short-term memory is a cognitive function used to describe the immediate, conscious retention of information. * It is often contrasted with long-term memory, which stores information for extended periods. * The term is commonly used in psychology, neuroscience, education, and everyday conversation about mental performance.

Examples
  • In Psychology/Neuroscience:
    • The study measured the effects of sleep deprivation on short-term memory capacity.
    • Patients with damage to the prefrontal cortex often exhibit severe deficits in short-term memory.
  • In Everyday Context:
    • I have a good short-term memory for numbers, so I can usually remember a phone number long enough to dial it.
    • Her short-term memory was so overloaded with instructions that she forgot the first step by the time she heard the last.
Advanced Usage
  • Working Memory: In contemporary cognitive psychology, "short-term memory" is often considered a component of or synonymous with working memory. Working memory emphasizes not just storage but also the active manipulation and processing of information (e.g., mental arithmetic).
    • Solving a complex math problem in your head relies heavily on your working memory, which goes beyond simple short-term memory storage.
Variants and Related Words
  • Working Memory (n): A closely related concept describing the cognitive system responsible for the temporary holding and processing of information for complex tasks like reasoning and comprehension.
  • Long-Term Memory (n): The system of the brain for the storage of information over a long duration, from hours to a lifetime.
  • Memory Span (n): A common measure of short-term memory capacity, typically the number of items (like digits) a person can immediately recall in the correct order.
Synonyms
  • Immediate memory
  • Primary memory (an older term)
  • Temporary memory store
Antonyms
  • Long-term memory
  • Permanent memory
Related Phrases/Idioms
  • "In one ear and out the other": This idiom describes a failure of short-term memory, where information is heard but not retained.
    • The teacher's detailed explanation went in one ear and out the other for the distracted student.
Noun
  1. what you can repeat immediately after perceiving it

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