We all forget little things for a while, don't we? Think about it, when someone tells us a phone number, we try to remember it until we write it down on a piece of paper. Or there are times when we forget one or two items from our shopping list. At times like these, our short-term memory helps us retain information in our heads for a while. So, today we'll talk about what it is exactly, how it works, and why it sometimes weakens.
What is short-term memory?
Simply put, short-term memory is a place where we temporarily store information when we learn something. It's like typing something on a computer and not saving it. We can easily recall this information for a short time, from a few seconds to a few minutes. But the amount of information it can hold is limited, just like the amount of stuff we can hold in our hands.
So what are the main benefits we get from this short-term memory?
- Attention: This is what helps us to focus our attention on something around us, or on the task we are doing. Imagine that you are walking on the road and suddenly a car comes, at that time your attention is directed towards that direction with the help of this memory.
- Recognition: Matching new information with old information already stored in our brain helps us recognize it, saying, "Oh, this is something like that" or "I've seen this person before."
Your short-term memory doesn't work alone. It works closely with our sensory memory and long-term memory . Imagine, you see a beautiful flower. It first goes to your brain through your eyes (that's `sensory memory`). Then that information comes to your short-term memory, and you realize, 'This is a beautiful flower.' If you want, this short-term memory can also send details about that flower (like color, smell) to your long-term memory so that you can recall it again.
Sometimes doctors call this primary memory or active memory . Both of those names mean the same thing, so don't get confused, okay?
How long does short-term memory last?
Okay, so how long can we hold information in this short-term memory? Typically, we can only hold about five or seven things at a time. Like a few digits in a phone number, or a few digits on a car license plate. But that memory is only there for a very short time. About 15 to 30 seconds at most. That's why we call it 'short-term'. It's like trying to hold a little water in your hand, and after a while it's gone.
But there's a good thing. We can transfer information from this short-term memory to long-term memory . Long-term memory is like a permanent storehouse in our brain. It's like a big library, and if you go there, information will be remembered for a long time, maybe even a lifetime. So, there are several ways we can use to increase the amount of information that can be stored in this short-term memory, or to send it to long-term memory:
- Chunking: Simply put, it's the act of breaking information into smaller pieces, or groups, and remembering them. Imagine you have a long phone number to remember. It's easier to remember it in chunks of three, four, or five digits than it is to remember all ten digits in one go, right? That's how it is.
- Rehearsing: This is something we do all the time. When we want to remember something, we read it over and over again, either mentally or verbally. We use this method when studying, right? When we read thinking, "Oh, I have to remember this," it is more likely to move from short-term memory to long-term memory.
What part of the brain controls short-term memory?
Now you might be wondering, 'Where in our brain is this short-term memory?' There is a special area in the frontal lobe of our brain, just below the forehead, called the prefrontal cortex . That's where these short-term memories are temporarily stored. It's like the `reception` of an office, where the information that comes in is kept for a while and then decided what to do next.
In addition, there is another small but very important part of our brain called the hippocampus . This hippocampus is what takes short-term memories, turns them into long-term memories, and helps them be stored permanently in another part of the brain , the cerebral cortex . The hippocampus works like a post office that writes a letter and sends it to the right place.
What is the difference between Working Memory and Short-Term Memory?
You may have heard of something called working memory . Actually, there are many similarities between working memory and short-term memory. Often, these two terms are used interchangeably. Some researchers combine the two and call them short-term working memory . However, there is a slight difference between the two.
- Short-Term Memory is just a place where information is stored temporarily. That is, we cannot change or manipulate the information there. It's like a sentence in a book, you can read it, but you can't change it right away.
- Working memory is also a place where information is temporarily stored, but the specialty is that we can change, manipulate, and use the information there to perform a task . Imagine that you are doing a calculation in your mind. You remember some numbers, add and subtract them, and get the answer, right? That's when your working memory is working. It helps us reason, learn new things, and understand things. It's like when you work in the kitchen, you put some vegetables on a board, cut them, stir them, and cook them.
However, both short-term memory and working memory help us gather new information, store it in long-term memory, and recall that information later when needed.
What is Short-Term Memory Impairment?
Okay, so what is short-term memory impairment ? Simply put, it's a condition where your short-term memory is affected. When that happens, you may have difficulty remembering information and events that you've recently learned . You may quickly forget things like what you did this morning or what someone said a while ago. You may find yourself thinking, "Oh, I heard/did that a while ago, but I can't remember."
There could be a number of reasons for this. Some of the main reasons are:
- An abnormal bulge in a blood vessel in the brain (Brain Aneurysm)
- Brain Tumors
- Cancer treatments, especially radiation and chemotherapy
- A severe blow or shock to the head (`Concussions` - this is like a slight jolt to the brain)
- Various infections (`Infections`)
- Side effects of some medications . For example:
- Antiseizure medications
- Sedatives and sleep-inducing drugs (`Benzodiazepines`)
- Some strong painkillers (`Opioids`)
- Some older medications for depression (Tricyclic antidepressants)
- Neurodegenerative conditions - such as Alzheimer's disease.
- Mental health problems, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) .
- Stroke
- Substance use disorder
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
If you think your short-term memory is impaired due to a reason like this, it's definitely best to see a doctor and seek advice.
Can you test short-term memory?
If you think your short-term memory is a little weak, or if your doctor suspects it, they may give you a short-term memory recall test . This is a very simple test, and there's nothing to worry about.
This is what usually happens:
- The doctor will show you some pictures, or say some numbers or words.
- Then , after a few seconds or a few minutes,
- You will be asked to repeat the pictures shown, the numbers or the words mentioned. Sometimes you may be asked to repeat them in the same order.
Then the doctor will check how much of what you said was correct. If you remembered everything correctly, or mostly correctly, it means that your short-term memory is good. However, if you had difficulty remembering those things, it means that there may be some weakness in your memory. If so, the doctor will tell you what to do next, and whether any further tests are needed.
The most important thing we need to learn from this is
So, you probably now understand how important short-term memory is to our brain's everyday activities, that is, our cognitive functioning . Even though it holds information for a very short time, it plays a big role. Just imagine, by the time you finish reading this sentence, your short-term memory has already removed the previously read sentence from its temporary storage and made room for this new sentence!
To maintain good short-term memory, it is very important to take care of our overall health.
There are many factors that affect how well our short-term memory works. But taking good care of your overall health – and getting help from a doctor if necessary – can go a long way in keeping your brain healthy. That means getting enough sleep, eating a nutritious diet, exercising, and reducing stress. When done right, we can keep not only our short-term memory, but our entire brain healthy.
` Short-Term Memory, Memory, Brain, Memory Power, Forgetting, Working Memory
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