A memory system that temporarily stores a limited amount of information for brief periods (typically 15-30 seconds) without rehearsal. It has a capacity of about 7±2 items and serves as a temporary holding area before information is either forgotten or transferred to long-term memory.
Introduced in the 1950s-60s during the cognitive revolution, contrasting with long-term memory based on duration and capacity limits. The concept was refined by George Miller's famous 1956 paper 'The Magical Number Seven' which identified the capacity limitations of immediate memory.
Short-term memory is like your brain's sticky note - it can only hold about 7 things at once and they fade quickly unless you keep refreshing them! This is why you can remember a phone number just long enough to dial it, but if someone interrupts you, it vanishes completely.
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