Miller's law

[ mil-erz law ]

noun

, Psychology.

1. the assertion that to understand what another person is saying one must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of: according to this theory, until we suspend our personal judgments about and interpretations of the words expressed by others, we cannot truly comprehend what others are saying.
2. the observation that the number of items an average adult can hold in short-term memory is seven (plus or minus two). Compare subitize.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Miller's law¹

Named after George A. Miller who described the principle in his article “The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information” (1956)

Example Sentences

Another is that Mr. Miller’s law, if enacted, would break up the logjam now thwarting mortgage modifications.

From New York Times