Abstract
Over the years, a metatheoretical view of short-term memory has developed. This view, closely related to the “modal” model from the 1960s, is supported by an increasing base of neurophysiological data, and a wide variety of empirical findings. It treats short-term memory as (1) the temporary, above threshold, activation of neural structures (related in not-too-well-specified ways to various recency effects); (2) a work space for carrying out virtually all cognitive operations involved in human cognition; and (3) the source of capacity limitations, accounting for certain memory limitations and most attentional limitations. The main problem with this view is the fact that it encompasses virtually everything that we are concerned with in human cognition—asuccessful model would almost be a general model of cognition, something the field has not yet approached. This situation is not grounds for despair. Progress is being made on many fronts, notwithstanding the fact that the most successful models are focused on specific task domains. Recent advances include an increasing awareness of the necessity for detailed models of short-term retrieval, a theme reflected in a number of articles in the present collection.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Atkinson, R. C., &Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In K. W. Spence (Ed.),The psychology of learning and motivation: Advances in research and theory (Vol. 2, pp. 89–195). New York: Academic Press.
Baddeley, A. D. (1986).Working memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Baddeley, A., &Hitch, G. (1993). The recency effect: Implicit learning with explicit retrieval?Memory & Cognition,21, 146–155.
Cowan, N. (1993). Activation, attention, and short-term memory.Memory & Cognition,21, 162–167.
Craik, R. I. M., &Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research.Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior,11, 671–684.
Crowder, R. (1993). Short-term memory: Where do we stand?Memory & Cognition,21, 142–145.
Glenberg, A. M., Bradley, M. M., Stevenson, J. A., Kraus, T. A., Tkachuk, M. J., Gretz, A. I., Fish, J. H., &Turpin, B. M. (1980). A two-process account of long-term serial position effects.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning & Memory,6, 355–369.
Lee, C. L. (1992). The perturbation model of short-term memory: A review and some further developments. In A. F. Healy, S. M. Kosslyn, & R. M. Shiffrin (Eds.),From learning processes to cognitive processes: Essays in honor of William K. Estes (Vol. 2, pp. 119–141). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Martin, R. (1993). Short-term memory and sentence processing: Evidence from neuropsychology.Memory & Cognition,21, 176–183.
McElree, B. M., &Dosher, B. A. (1989). Serial position and set size in short-term memory: Time course of recognition.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,118, 347–373.
Posner, M. I. (1969). Abstraction and the process of recognition. In G. H. Bower & J. T. Spence (Eds.),The psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 3, pp. 44–96). New York: Academic Press.
Potter, M. (1993). Very short-term conceptual memory.Memory & Cognition,21, 156–161.
Schneider, W. (1993). Varieties of working memory as seen in biology and in connectionist/control architectures.Memory &. Cognition,21, 184–192.
Schweikert, R. (1993). A multinomial processing tree model for degradation and redintegration in immediate recall.Memory & Cognition,21, 168–175.
Shiffrin, R. M. (1976). Capacity limitations in information processing, attention, and memory. In W. K. Estes (Ed.),Handbook of learning and cognitive processes: Attention and memory (Vol. 4, pp. 177–236). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Shiffrin, R. M. (1988). Attention. In R. C. Atkinson, R. J. Herrnstein, G. Lindzey, & R. D. Luce (Eds.),Stevens' handbook of experimental psychology (2nd ed., pp. 811–839). New York: Wiley.
Sperling, G. (1960). The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs,74(Whote No. 498).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shiffrin, R.M. Short-term memory: A brief commentary. Mem Cogn 21, 193–197 (1993). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202732
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202732