Time read: 5 MintuesWhen we think of memory, our associations often go to childhood experiences, a trip we took, or information like names of loved ones and significant dates. However, these are all a specific type, Long-Term Memory.
Long-Term Memory involves the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information hours, days, or even years after it was originally learned. Both the ability to remember a topic discussed a few minutes ago and the ability to recall your first pet depend on long-term memory. But what happens with new information in real-time? Or information we only need for short durations?
For these needs and immediate ongoing use, a significant component is Short-Term Memory, which is necessary whenever we need to hold information for brief periods. Information in short-term memory is available for immediate use but is held for very short durations – about 20 seconds. To keep this information in the system, we must actively repeat and rehearse it to prevent it from being forgotten.
The modern approach to short-term memory, which is prevalent in research today, replaces the concept of “short-term memory” with Working Memory.
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What is Working Memory and How Can It Be Improved?
This approach defines working memory as a system with limited capacity used for the temporary storage and manipulation of information.
What does this actually mean?
- Limited Capacity: Our working memory can hold a limited number of items. This number varies from person to person, but the common estimate in research is a capacity of about 7 items at any given moment.
- Temporary Storage: Without repetition, items in working memory will naturally decay within 10-20 seconds.
- Information Manipulation: Working memory plays a vital role in thought processes and problem-solving. When we consciously try to solve a problem, we use working memory to store relevant parts of the problem while combining them with information stored in long-term memory.
Working memory is critical to our daily functioning. We use it for various tasks: entering a verification code sent via SMS, solving math problems in our heads, cooking while following a recipe, or organizing a schedule. It is also crucial for language processing, following a conversation, and reading texts.
Working Memory and Aging
Alongside its great importance, this ability is among the cognitive functions that change and decline with aging. The component most affected is capacity. Below the age of 60, the average capacity is about 7 items; however, adults over 60 can, on average, hold one less item.
This decline is a natural part of aging. Aside from this slight decrease, our working memory capacity remains largely constant throughout our adult lives. Our capacity is determined by a combination of genetic and developmental factors, and it cannot be trained, improved, or expanded! Nevertheless, the decline with age is not a “fate” we must simply accept; there are ways to sharpen and strengthen how we use it.
Exercises to Strengthen Short-Term Memory
As part of a training program, one can find a variety of interactive exercises developed by brain experts and neuropsychologists. These aim to strengthen short-term memory through targeted activation of memory and attention systems.
Examples of exercises:
- Under the Radar: Items appear briefly and disappear. They reappear with one new item, and the participant must quickly identify the new one. This strengthens the ability to “update” information in working memory.
- Point to Point: Circles containing numbers or letters must be clicked in ascending order after they disappear. As you progress, the number of items increases, challenging both memory and processing speed.
- The Missing Piece: Identifying which item vanished from a sequence shown moments before. This trains working memory, attention, and “connectivity”—the ability to glue different pieces of information together.
What is Chunking?
How can we improve short-term memory if capacity is fixed? While we cannot “resize the warehouse,” we can learn to “pack it” more efficiently using Chunking.
Chunking is the consolidation of individual items into meaningful groups. For example, if you are presented with the sequence 664843734153, it is too long for the average working memory. Through chunking, you can divide it: 664-843-734-153. Now, a 12-digit sequence only occupies 4 slots in your working memory, allowing you to store the same data using fewer resources.
Read more about Chunking in our Cognitive dictionary >>
Effectivate’s training programs focus on providing these research-based strategies. Working memory is essential for healthy cognitive functioning in daily life, and using it correctly and efficiently is key to long-term cognitive health.
