Short Term Memory Strategies

1 Short Term Memory Strategies Alondra Garcia National Louis University Psy 305 Prof Paul 03/17/2024 2 Short Term Memory Strategies Short-term memory is the system in the brain that stores small amounts of information for a short time, where most of the information is eventually lost with little reaching long-term memory (Goldstein, 2015). Despite many misconceptions about how long information lasts in short-term memory, several studies and experiments by cognitive psychologists have shown that short-term memory lasts between 15 to 20 seconds and, in some cases, even less. This limitation can also be illustrated when stimuli change too fast, which can result in the brain not interpreting all the changes in time, such as in the case of a fast-flickering light where one cannot see all the color changes (Veritasium, 2011). Short-term memory is not just limited to how long information it can hold, but how much, with many experts estimating that the typical person can store from between four and nine items in short-term memory based on a wide range of measures such as the digit span and change detection, with many of the experiments showing that the performance of short-term memory deteriorates with time as a person is required to remember more things in one session. Chunking is one of the strategies people use to improve short-term memory, and it refers to combining small units of information, such as words, into larger, more meaningful units, like phrases or sentences that can be easily remembered due to how they are closely associated (Goldstein, 2015). Therefore, rather than someone having to recall one item at a time in their short-term memory, they can combine several at a time, thus improving their ability to recall more items in short-term memory. Technology use is not only negating numerous situations where people would use their short-term memory, but it is also interfering with instances when people are using short-term memory. Several tasks that would have required the use of short and long-term memory are 3 increasingly being delegated to technological devices, reducing the instances where such parts of the brain are used. Studies have shown that screen time usage and electronic device access while performing an activity that requires short-term memory negatively impact the person's performance in short-term memory (Spence et al., 2020). This phenomenon could be due to the overload of brain stimulation identified by Cyril Baley in his talk on the importance of brain focus in its optimal performance (Bailey, 2019). The presence of technological devices such as smartphones that have a wide range of visual and auditory stimuli means that the brain has to multitask numerous things, thus impacting its ability to perform well on other tasks, such as short-term memory. The impact of technology use on human memory is a complex issue to conceptualize accurately because while some use cases are being interfered with by the introduction of technology, there are also other cases where people still use short-term memory even when they are interacting with technological devices. However, the main concern of many experts is that such cases tend to involve overstimulation and lack of social connection, which can have other long-term negative effects. I do not think there is a potential for a "use it or lose it" scenario with short-term memory due to technology because the ability is being applied almost every day in other scenarios, even when there is technology involved. However, there is a risk that the way it is used and how it is applied to social contexts and human interactions is changing due to the constant presence of technological devices and changing needs in the environment. While internal memory capabilities can diminish if they are not used, it is more likely to happen for specific scenarios that will likely have become less applicable due to technology becoming the preferred way. 4 References Bailey, C. (2019, April). How to Get Your Brain to Focus [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4Yvq-g7_Y Goldstein, E. B. (2015). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (4th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing Company. Spence, A., Beasley, K., Gravenkemper, H., Hoefler, A., Ngo, A., Ortiz, D., & Campisi, J. (2020). Social media use while listening to new material negatively affects short-term memory in college students. Physiology & Behavior, 227, 113172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113172 Veritasium. (2011, July). Persistence Of Vision [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcstc1ozczQ