Word info

memory span

Noun

Meaning

memory span (plural memory spans)

The number of items, usually words or numbers, that a person can retain and recall. Memory span is a test of working memory (short-term memory).
He noticed that the memory span of young adults was around seven elements

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Examples

We have populations now in the West with a very short memory span. One reason for this short memory span is that television over the last fifteen years has seen a big decline in the coverage of the rest of the world. Tariq Ali

A commonly used measure is a dual-task paradigm, combining a memory span measure with a concurrent processing task, sometimes referred to as "complex span". Source: Internet

His expertise was limited to digits; when a switch from digits to letters of the alphabet was made he exhibited no transfer—his memory span dropped back to about six consonants. Source: Internet

In a memory span test, the experimenter presents lists of items (e.g. digits or words) of increasing length. Source: Internet

More recent research has shown that this "magical number seven" is roughly accurate for college students recalling lists of digits, but memory span varies widely with populations tested and with material used. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms