short-term memory

noun

1. information retained in the brain and retrievable from it over a brief span of time ( long-term memory ).

short-term memory

noun

1. psychol that section of the memory storage system of limited capacity (approximately seven items) that is capable of storing material for a brief period of time Compare long-term memory

short-term memory

1. Retention of information that undergoes little processing or interpretation and can be recalled for only a few seconds. Short-term memory can retain about seven items.

Notes

A popular example of short-term memory is the ability to remember a seven-digit telephone number just long enough to dial a call. In most cases, unless the number is consciously repeated several times, it will be forgotten.

Word History and Origins

Origin of short-term memory¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

People describe brain fog, headaches, dizziness, problems with short-term memory.

From Washington Post

The work could help reconcile two sides of an ongoing debate about whether short-term memories are maintained through constant, persistent representations or through dynamic neural codes that change over time.

From Quanta Magazine

Compounding that challenge, a body of research hints that the brain does not neatly partition short-term memory function exclusively into higher cognitive areas like the prefrontal cortex.

From Quanta Magazine

We must absorb new sensory information about the world around us while holding on to short-term memories of earlier observations or events.

From Quanta Magazine

You are more experienced, but not necessarily any wiser than you were at 30, and you have no short-term memory.

From Washington Post

The ensuing short-term memory impairments associated with TBI can make it nearly impossible to take care of daily tasks.

From The Daily Beast

After lunch, I entered a mental haze: reaction times dropped 12% and short-term memory 11%.

From The Daily Beast

Without training, the human brain can hold only about seven items in short-term memory.

From The Daily Beast

Today at the age of 21, he lives with his parents, spends most of his time in a wheelchair, and struggles with short-term memory.

From The Daily Beast

There is nothing about Al in 39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss that is not already a matter of public record.

From The Daily Beast