GI $
UNDERSTANDING LEARNING AND MEMORY 35OC
IACheck to see how many letters you recalled in the right order.Now, let’s look at another list. Again, read the list once, and then
cover the page and write all the letters you can remember in order:FBI
MTV
USA
HBO
CIAHow many letters did you get right this time? I bet you did much
better the second time. Notice that the same letters are presented
in the same order in both lists. The only difference is that the sec-
ond list is arranged in familiar patterns. Because the letters are famil-
iar and meaningful, each set can serve as a single unit, or chunk,
in WM. Instead of trying to remember 15 separate letters, as in the
first list, you only have to recall five familiar chunks in the second
list. The first list exceeds the 7 2 guideline; the second list can
be managed within your WM limits.Because WM is characterized by a limited capacity, only a very
small amount of information in the sensory store can ever be
processed in WM. According to information-processing theory, infor-
mation must be processed in WM before it can move on to LTM.
This means the learner must do something active with the informa-
tion to move it into LTM. However, because WM has a short dura-
tion (about 5 to 20 seconds), the processing must be completed fairly
quickly, or at least rehearsed, until it can be processed.
Another common control process is maintenance rehearsal. This
strategy helps keep information activated for more than 20 seconds
in WM by rehearsing the information mentally. For example, if an
individual gets out of the car to obtain directions to a location, the
information could easily be forgotten by the time he or she gets back
into the car. Therefore, after receiving directions, individuals often
rehearse or repeat “left–left–right–left” while driving away to prevent
forgetting.
Sometimes during a lecture, I will point out some information about
the upcoming exam or make changes in reading assignments. Some
students fail to enter the information in their notes because they