Seven plus or minus two: a commentary on capacity limitations.
Miller's classic 1956 article is best known today for its discussion of capacity limitations in short-term memory, but the bulk of the article dealt with capacity limitations in absolute judgment tasks and the relation of such limitations to information theory. Many of the puzzles of absolute judgment first raised by Miller remain a puzzle today. The authors review some of the literature directed toward this issue and discuss a few models that attempt to elucidate the phenomena. Since 1956 there has been an enormous research effort aimed at understanding the mechanisms and limitations of short-term memory, resulting in considerable progress. The authors briefly discuss some of these advances. The authors conclude, as Miller did, by noting the probable lack of connection between the limitations observed in these 2 areas of inquiry.
Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
R M
RM
Shiffrin
R M
RM
Nosofsky
D001288:Attention; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008606:Mental Processes; D011939:Mental Recall; D010465:Perception; D012684:Sensory Thresholds