The 5 Types of Memory Everyone Has and Why They Matter

Short-term (working) memory

Short-term memory is temporary. Its principle characteristic is its low capacity, meaning it’s quickly saturated. We can retain on average seven unassociated items (such as letters, words, or numbers) for a few minutes—unless you train like a memory champion with these pro tricks to get a superhuman memory. This is called the “span.” Psychologists realized that short-term memory is in constant use as we talk, think, and act, so they began to refer to short-term memory as “working memory” to emphasize its active role.