Memory span
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). In a typical test of memory span, an examiner reads a list of random numbers aloud at about the rate of one number per second. At the end of a sequence, the person being tested is asked to recall the items, in order. The average memory span for normal adults is seven.
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- Memory, anterograde
Memory for things following an event or brain injury. The opposite of retrograde memory.
- Memory, long-term
The ability to permanently store, manage, and retrieve information for later use. Items of information stored as long-term memory may be available for a lifetime.
- Memory, recent
Short-term memory. Also called working memory. Recent memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Recent memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. One test of recent […]
- Memory, short-term
A system for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Short-term memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. One test of short-term memory is memory span, the number of items, usually words […]
- Memory, working
Short-term (recent) memory. Working memory is a system for temporarily storing and managing the information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is involved in the selection, initiation, and termination of information-processing functions such as encoding, storing, and retrieving data. One test of working memory is memory […]