106 X INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH
Volume : 6 | Issue : 6 | June 2016 | ISSN - 2249-555X | IF : 3.919 | IC Value : 74.50
ReseaRch PaPeR
Immediate Memory Span
Nauma Hafeez Dr Karpagam
Psychology
Keywords
ABSTRACT AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the span of immediate memory in an individual.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the span of immediate memory in an individual using digit
span method.
BACKGROUND: Memory is key to everyday activities of life. Without memory learning is impossible. Therefore
retention and memory together play an important role in an individual's mental behavior. Since memory and learning
go hand in hand in t he span of memory in an individual can be used to evaluate his learning ability.
REASON: To evaluate the longest span of memory n individuals and relate this to his mental health.
INTRODUCTION
The modern era is continually changing. With people mak-
ing new discoveries and innovative ideas popping every
other second the world is advancing at an incredible pace.
To keep up with all this “change” we have forced our
brains to expand and develop from a mere primitive brain
to a very complex mind which can store up to a million GB
while some go to the extent of saying it is even more than
a million.
To put it in our perspective a brain can store enough CDs
to stack up to the moon and 15 libraries for every person
on this planet. The data Is huge to even imagine.
We as individuals are continuously learning for the aim of
progress. Every experience makes us learn something valu-
able and therefore learning is key to survival.
But have you ever wondered how learning actually be-
gins???
It all starts with memory. Memory is key to learning .with-
out the ability to memorize learning is not possible and
progress is difficult.
Memory is the process in which any kind of information is
encoded ,stored and retrieved for later use.
In the first stage the information must be changed from
the source to chemical signals so that it may be put into
the encoding process. Storage is the second memory
stage or process. This entails that information is main-
tained over periods of time. Finally the third process is the
retrieval of information that has been stored. Such informa-
tion must be located and returned to the consciousness.
Broadly, Memory can be classified into three types: sensory
memory, short-term memory and long-term memory, this is
known as the Atkinson-Shiffrin model, after Richard Atkin-
son and Richard Shiffrin who developed it in 1968, and it
remains to this day the most popular model for studying
memory.
Adding the aspect of cognition to short term memory we
get what is called working memory.Working memory is a
short-term memory buffer that allows for the manipulation
of stored information, while short-term memory is only in-
volved in the short-term storage of information.It is known
that a working memory can store only up to 7 items at a
time.
Our lifestyle implores us to retrieve information for longer
durations of time or sometimes even forever since memory
is merely a neuronal connection or a synapse in the brain
,that is any information from the outside will cause synap-
tic formation in the brain , the ability to memorize will in-
crease in either increased synaptic junction or stronger syn-
aptic junctions .This can be achieved by repeated use of
short term data which will gradually strengthen into long
term data in the brains memory system.
In this study we aim at finding the immediate memory
span of an individual .In psychology and neuroscience,
memory span is the longest list of items that a person
can repeat back to 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 makes use of working
memory as we have not only to store but also to manipu-
late it in the same order.
METHODS AND MATERIALS:
Materials: a list of numbers ranging from one digit to five
digits with three numbers in each digit.The list of numbers
can either be read out or a recording of this can be played
to the individuals.
List of numbers used in this study to assess span of im-
mediate memory :
One digit
8
2
7
Two digit
19
78
49
Three digit
200
303
789
Four digit
2090
6024
1000
