Activation, attention, and short-term memory.
The premise of this paper is that the popular term "short-term memory" (STM) is vague because it is used to refer to either (1) the set of representations from long-term memory currently in a state of heightened activation or (2) the focus of attention or content of awareness. A more coherent conception of STM is hierarchical, with the focus of attention depicted as a subset of the activated portion of long-term memory. Research issues are discussed to illustrate that this simple conception of STM leads to testable predictions and useful lines of inquiry.
Cowan
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Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.
D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D012153:Retention, Psychology