%% ### ==Todo== - [ ] Clean up this note and improve its structure. It currently seems a bit messy. %% Researchers have used the concepts of short-term memory as well as the closely related [[Working memory is a "mental workbench" that temporarily holds a small amount of information readily available for ongoing processing|working memory]] somewhat inconsistently.^[Cowan, 2017] This makes it somewhat difficult to read the literature on these topics in a coherent way. For the purpose of this note, short-term memory (STM) refers to memories for recent experiences and things or, alternatively, the system which holds these memories.^[Lieberman, 2021] In contrast with [[Working memory is a "mental workbench" that temporarily holds a small amount of information readily available for ongoing processing|working memory]], STM is about storing and recalling information but not actively manipulating it. An example to highlight this distinction: If you hear a list of grocery items and are asked to repeat the list, you use your short-term memory. However, if you are asked to repeat the list but in a different order, such as by which store you'll get the groceries from, you use your working memory.^[Adams et al., 2018] This short-term store contains incoming information from the senses as well as information retrieved (or activated) from long-term memory.^[Lieberman, 2021] The capacity of STM is severely constrained. It can hold only about **four chunks of information** (±1) at any given moment.^[Oakley et al., 2021] Information held in short-term memory **fades within seconds or minutes**.^[Budson & Kensinger, 2023] In contrast, [[Long-term memory stores a large amount of information for a long period of time]]. Short-term (or working) memory is often labeled a "false friend” of long-term memory. It’s hard to tell whether you’ve learned something in working or long-term memory. Learners will often place information in working memory and mistakenly believe it has made its way into long-term memory.^[Oakley et al., 2021] --- Created: [[2023-04-14]] Type: #permanent Topics: [[Learning (Index)]] Related notes: - [[Memory is the capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information]] - [[Sensory memory stores input from the senses for a few seconds to allow time to identify it]] - [[Working memory is a "mental workbench" that temporarily holds a small amount of information readily available for ongoing processing]]