Which term refers to a mental space that temporarily holds a small amount of information for a short time, usually a few seconds to a minute?

Which term refers to a mental space that temporarily holds a small amount of information for a short time, usually a few seconds to a minute?

• A. Short-term memory (STM)
• B. Long-term memory (LTM)
• C. Sensorimotor stage
• D. Fine motor skills

Answer: (A)

This question is about a temporary mental workspace that holds a small amount of information for a short time. Short-term memory is the term that fits here, often called working memory. It keeps things you’re actively thinking about so you can use them right now—like a phone number you just heard or the steps you’re trying to solve in a problem. The key idea is that this space is limited in capacity and temporary in duration. Typically, we can hold about seven items (give or take a couple) in this space, and without rehearsal that information fades after a few seconds to a minute. We can keep it longer if we rehearse or chunk the information into meaningful groups. This is different from long-term memory, which stores information for much longer periods, often indefinitely. The other terms refer to concepts outside of this brief, in-the-moment storage: the sensorimotor stage is a developmental phase from infancy, and fine motor skills involve precise small-muscle movements rather than memory storage. Short-term memory best captures the idea of a small, short-lived holding space for information.

This question is about a temporary mental workspace that holds a small amount of information for a short time. Short-term memory is the term that fits here, often called working memory. It keeps things you’re actively thinking about so you can use them right now—like a phone number you just heard or the steps you’re trying to solve in a problem. The key idea is that this space is limited in capacity and temporary in duration.

Typically, we can hold about seven items (give or take a couple) in this space, and without rehearsal that information fades after a few seconds to a minute. We can keep it longer if we rehearse or chunk the information into meaningful groups. This is different from long-term memory, which stores information for much longer periods, often indefinitely. The other terms refer to concepts outside of this brief, in-the-moment storage: the sensorimotor stage is a developmental phase from infancy, and fine motor skills involve precise small-muscle movements rather than memory storage. Short-term memory best captures the idea of a small, short-lived holding space for information.