ABSTRACT
Short-Term Memory (STM) refers to the memories which are currently receiving our conscious attention, and it is a temporary store of very brief duration and limited capacity. Long-Term Memory (LTM) refers to the memories which are not presently in conscious awareness, but which are held in storage ready to be recalled. The distinction between STM and LTM is sometimes referred to as the ‘dual-store’ theory of memory, because it proposes two distinct forms of memory storage. It therefore constitutes one of the first ‘multistore’ theories of memory, describing memory as a number of related structures rather than as a single entity. The Brown–Peterson task is a technique for measuring the duration of STM storage in normal individuals. The task requires them to retain a few test items whilst being prevented from repeating or rehearsing them, thus stopping them from transferring the items to LTM.
