Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory.

   There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short term memoiy. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long term storage

   When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam many people engage in "rote rehearsal". By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will likely forget the number instantly. Therefore rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long term memory. A better way is to practice "elaborate rehearsal". This involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be filed along with other pre-existing long term memories.

   Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often- however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory can be reừieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.

The word “elaborate” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ...........

Câu hỏi liên quan

• Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

• Which of the following is NOT true?

• The word "derived" in line 13 is closest in meaning to ..............

ZUNIA12

• The expression “traditional methods of teaching” is the first sentence refers to ______

• The passage implies that Melville stayed in Tahiti because ...........

• The word “tolls” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

• What is the main idea of the passage?

• According to the passage, what is implied about tea harvesting?

• Why do people say that African women’s lives are hard?

• The author claims all of the following to be the benefits of rooftop gardens except .............

• The word “imprisonment” in paragraph 2 is closet in meaning to _________.

• Which of the following is NOT true about Thanksgiving?

• This passage is mainly about ............

• The expression day-to-day could best be replaced by which of the following?

• According to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others?

• Who is the most likely speaker?

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

• The word “thoroughfares” is closet in meaning to ..........

• According to the passage, Moby Dick is__________.