Memory span
longest list of items that a person can repeat back in correct order immediately after presentation
In psychology and neuroscience, memory span is the longest list of items that a person can repeat back in correct order immediately after presentation on 50% of all trials. Items may include words, numbers, or letters. The task is known as digit span when numbers are used. Memory span is a common measure of working memory and short-term memory. It is also a component of cognitive ability tests such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Backward memory span is a more challenging variation which involves recalling items in reverse order.
As a functional aspect
Functionally, memory span is used to measure the number of discrete units over which the individual can successively distribute their attention and still organize them into a working unit. To generalize, it refers to the ability of an individual to reproduce immediately, after one presentation, a series of discrete stimuli in their original order. Therefore memory span can be understood as the quantum of action of thought.
Experiments in memory span have found that the more familiar a person is with the type of subject matter presented to them, the more they will remember it in a novel setting.
The public source identifies “Memory span” as longest list of items that a person can repeat back in correct order immediately after presentation. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Memory, span and longest.
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This entry incorporates text from “Memory span” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.