What is the capacity and duration of short term memory?

The choice identifying short-term memory as having a limited capacity of about 7 items for a duration of a few seconds to 2 minutes is accurate. This aligns with established psychological research, particularly the work of George Miller, who proposed that the typical limit of short-term memory is around 7±2 items. In practical terms, this means that when information is presented, an individual can typically remember between 5 to 9 discrete items for a brief time before they begin to forget.

Short-term memory serves as a temporary storage system for information that a person may need to use in the short term, such as remembering a phone number long enough to dial it. The capability to retain information is fleeting as it usually lasts only seconds without active rehearsal or additional encoding into long-term memory. This fundamental understanding of short-term memory capacity and duration is crucial for comprehending broader cognitive functions and processes.