Human sensory, short-term and operational memory. Features of short-term and long-term memory

To orient a person in the world around him, there is a need for a connection between past and current images of perception. Our past experiences are constantly used in our behavior. Thus, we need memory, which can be defined as the process of remembering, storing and then reproducing information. Memory ensures integrity personal experience and the purposefulness of our behavior. Loss and destruction of memory as a result of illness is perceived by a person as a serious psychological trauma.

There are various types of memory:

by the nature of mental activity which accompanies memory - motor, figurative (visual, auditory, etc.), emotional and verbal-logical.

by the presence/absence of a memorization goal– voluntary and involuntary.

by storage time/stage of information processing– sensory, short-term (operative) and long-term memory.

The last classification describes computer model of memory (Broadbent, Atkinson and Shifrin). In the very general view this model can be represented as follows:

According to this model, the transition of information from one storage facility to another can be controlled by the person himself. We control the area of short-term memory to the greatest extent.

Storage sensory memory serves for the primary recording of information received from the senses. Information is in this storage up to several seconds, then it is transferred to short-term memory. Sensory visual and auditory memory are the best studied. We can say that this repository contains exact image object, but not yet included in the focus of attention. The most important in at the moment information is encoded (automatically or voluntarily) and goes into short-term memory storage. One reason for forgetting is lack of encoding.

Short-term memory serves as an intermediate storage that allows you to retain a limited (5-9 elements) amount of information, process it and use it to organize behavior.

If information is not repeated while in short-term memory, it gradually disappears from this storage.

According to some data, the storage time of unprocessed information in short-term memory does not exceed 20 seconds.

In short-term memory, information is processed based on visual, auditory and semantic codes.

IN long-term memory information is stored in the form of semantic networks. This is truly long-term memory - information can be stored in it for an unlimited time (in a healthy person) and in unlimited quantities. However, this does not mean that a person is able to remember anything at will. Most people, when complaining about memory, mean the inability to reproduce information. However, they pay little attention to how the memorization process occurred. Much depends on the method of encoding information, on the degree of its organization, on the emotional state, on the correctly set goal of remembering, etc.

Further, we can distinguish semantic and episodic memory (the division was proposed by Tulving). Purposeful memorization of information for the purpose of translating it into long-term memory is associated primarily with the work of semantic memory. Episodic memory is also called autobiographical memory. Both episodic and semantic memory, according to Tulving, belong to the long-term memory system. Episodic memory receives and stores information about temporally dated episodes and events, and the connections between these events (for example, meeting a person for the first time). It forms the basis for identifying events, people and places encountered in the past. Semantic memory is memory for words, concepts, rules, and abstract ideas. According to Tulving, it is a mental thesaurus that organizes a person's knowledge. Information in episodic memory is quickly lost as new information is acquired.

The actual process of reproduction involves searching for information in episodic memory. If you ask a person how to translate some word into a foreign language that he has studied, you will first have to enter these questions for reproduction as “events” in episodic memory. For example, when we memorize a series of words (the “10 words” method), semantic memory does not play a big role here. We need to store information about this task in episodic memory (encode it in a special way with episodic markers). Studies have shown that patients with memory disorders lack episodic labeling of stored information. Therefore, their voluntary reproduction is grossly impaired (after a pause exceeding the temporary reserves of short-term memory), but spontaneous reminiscences are possible - good delayed reproduction of what was initially impossible to reproduce voluntarily. It has also been shown that in patients with memory impairment, episodic memory is first impaired, and only then short-term and semantic memory.

Data from brain studies provide at least partial support for Tulving's theory. It has been shown that activation of the cerebral cortex is the basis for storing new information. However, assessing when and where new information accumulates in the cortex requires activation of a special subcortical structure - the hippocampus.

Individual characteristics of memory, as well as individual ways of its development, are associated with identifying the predominant type of memory (figurative or logical, visual or auditory, etc.) and with the correct organization of information based on it. Memory training - constant reference to it, can also have a significant impact on the ease of reproduction.

Sensory memory

- (from Latin sensus - feeling, sensation) - a hypothetical memory subsystem that ensures retention for a very short time (usually less than one second) of the products of sensory processing of information entering the memory. Depending on the type of stimuli, a distinction is made between iconic memory (), echoic memory () and other types of memory systems. It is assumed that in P. s. physical signs of information are retained; this distinguishes it from short term memory And long-term memory, for which verbal-acoustic and semantic coding are typical, respectively. This difference has a conditional nature, since the preservation of physical (perceptual) features can be long-term, and the identification of semantic characteristics is possible already at relatively early stages of material processing.

Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: “PHOENIX”. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .

Sensory memory

A hypothetical memory subsystem that provides retention for a very short time (usually less than one second) of the products of sensory processing of information entering the senses. Depending on the type of incentives, they differ:

1 ) iconic memory - vision;

2 ) echoic memory - hearing, etc.

It is assumed that physical signs of information are retained in sensory memory; this distinguishes it from short-term and long-term memory, with their verbal-acoustic and semantic encoding, respectively. This difference is conditional, since the preservation of physical (perceptual) features can be long-term, and the identification of semantic characteristics is possible already at relatively early stages of processing the material.

Dictionary of a practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.

SENSORY MEMORY

(English) sensory memory) is a collective concept for various modality-specific types of ultra-short-term memory (see, for example, And ); performs the function of reflecting and capturing an object in the entirety of its features accessible to the perceiving system, i.e., located in the zone of its resolution. Contents P. p. completely depends on the energetic properties of the stimulus; for example, in the case of visual sensory memory - on the intensity, contrast, duration of exposure, the nature of the pre- and post-exposure field against which the stimulus is presented (see. ).

Many people consider P. s. like more general concept in relation to the concepts of iconic and echoic memory. However, there is an opinion that it is necessary to distinguish between P. s. and iconic memory. 1st is more peripheral, energy dependent and has a shorter storage time (250-300 ms); The 2nd in this case is understood as a collective name for various modality-specific types of short-term immediate memory (and PS, iconic memory, perhaps visual, auditory, tactile, etc.). Contents P. p. after 30-50 ms it enters iconic memory in the form of a trace of the stimulus, its copy. Existence of visual P. s. m.b. derived from an analysis of the behavior of the oculomotor system (V. P. Zinchenko, 1996). During visual fixation (250-500 ms), the visual system performs a significant number of functions; capturing information in the field of view, short-term storage and transmission to other processing levels (before the next eye jump) to free up space for receiving a new piece of information. According to the results of research on the phenomenon saccadic suppression(N. Gordeeva, A. Nazarov, V. Romanyuta, 1980), storage time in P. s. corresponds to the duration of the fixation phase; during the parasaccadic phase of P. s. “closed”, information processing occurs according to the visual iconic image. (T. P. Zinchenko.)

Large psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .

See what “sensory memory” is in other dictionaries:

SENSORY MEMORY- SENSORY MEMORY. See sensory memory... New dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of language teaching)

Sensory memory- a form of memory that ensures the preservation of information entering the senses. At the heart of P. s. There are trace processes in receptor cells and analyzers that continue for some time (up to 0.5 s) even after the cessation of the stimulus. On... ... Trainer's Dictionary

A sensory copy of information presented to the observer visually at a very close short time(up to 100 ms.), which: 1) has a large capacity; 2) quickly fades away in time (about 0.25 s); 3) works with touch code; 4) not knowingly... ...

- (echoic memory) a hypothetical memory subsystem that ensures retention for a very short time (usually less than one second) of the products of sensory processing of information entering the senses. Depending on the type... ... Great psychological encyclopedia

The processes of organizing and preserving past experience, making it possible to reuse it in activity or return it to the sphere of consciousness. P. connects the subject’s past with his present and future and is the most important cognitive function... Great psychological encyclopedia- This term has other meanings, see Memory (meanings). This article or section needs revision. Please improve... Wikipedia

MEMORY- the ability of the cognitive system of living beings to encode and store information with the participation, as a rule, of higher cognitive processes. First attempts scientific research human P. originate from the work of the German. psychologist G. Ebbinghause... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

Sensory Memory- short-term memory (no more than 2 s.) with a large amount of information stored in it, which has a peripheral and modality-specific nature, reflecting the physical characteristics of stimuli... Psychological Dictionary

This mechanism stores information for a very short time - about 250 ms. To understand how little this is, it is worth noting that visual memorization saves the picture for 2 seconds, and auditory memorization - up to 4 seconds.

A distinctive feature of this mechanism is the unlimited data storage capacity. The process of imprinting occurs constantly and absolutely everything.

Functions include:

ensuring normal perception of the world;
non-long-term retention of data in primary form;
works continuously even during eye movements or at the moment of blinking.

The sensory system of the eye stores absolutely everything that has an impact on the sensory organs. This happens because the system cannot determine which points are needed and which are not. Then sampling takes place and everything unnecessary is eliminated. Retrieving important data is very easy and fast.

Sometimes erroneous reproduction occurs. The reason for this is the following factors:

fading;
destruction;
masking tracks;
replacement old information new data.

For example, if you wave your hand in front of your face, for a very short time there will be a trace of the hand after the wave. Or if you bring your fist to your face, quickly show 2 fingers, and again clench your hand into a fist.

There will be a feeling that after clenching your hand into a fist again, 2 fingers still remained in the field of view. This process is necessary so that the brain has time to read information, perceive it and process it.

Depending on the types of stimulation, the data storage differs into:

Iconic;
Echoic.

Iconic memory is visual memory. Echoic memory is the memory of hearing.

It is assumed that sensory memory retains more physical features. But this information is considered conditional, because the storage of physical characteristics is a long-term process.

Echoic memory is a subsystem that ensures the preservation of the result of sensory processed data received through the senses for a very short period of time.

Iconic memory is the process of the function of reflecting and remembering an object according to all its characteristics that are accessible to perceptual systems.

What is sensory memory needed for?

There are several explanations for this body function. This process allows you to save visual images at the moment of blinking. Also, such a mechanism may be needed to remember a specific image. This occurs due to the fact that the visual signal is able to last an additional period of time.

It is believed that a person has this property by chance. This happens due to the unique design of vision. This kind of perception of the environment may be a by-product of the eye's mechanism, such as the trace of a photochemical reaction in the retina.

It makes no sense to talk about randomness, because the entire body is built from subtle mechanisms that complement each other for proper functioning, without which a person would not be able to accept the world as it is.

Most likely, this mechanism serves to process late information. This process allows the image to be stored for a longer period of time to complete the processing stage.

In fact, everything is much more complicated and confusing. The mechanisms of this reception of information are still being actively discussed, and this also applies to other senses.

A number of experiments show that similar memory systems exist in the tactile and auditory systems. It is enough for us to know that such systems exist at all and significantly improve the quality of human life.

Features and Properties

One of the main functions of s. n. is a stable perception of the surrounding world. For example, in the visual senses, it ensures the constant process of the visual system. In the hearing organs, sensory memory ensures normal perception of sounds and speech.

If a person could not have such a sense of perception, then the world around him would present different pictures, unrelated to each other, and fragments of sounds.

Scientist Sperling suggested that the human body can perceive much more of the proposed material, compared with the amount that he can then lay out.

There are many opinions from theorists:

Experience of neurophysiologist Hebb. The scientist gave a theoretical justification for the fact that memory is formed based on the physiological state and gives rise to the activation phase. Duration of this action— 0.5 sec. This process is necessary in order to start the work of change in the nerve endings. Based on all this, it is worth concluding that there must be another system in which information is temporarily located until the storage process occurs.
Processing information according to Donald Broadbunt's model. Following this theory, all materials that the body perceives are processed through certain information processing blocks. One block is working on processing incoming material. Another block processes only a certain amount of information. The scientist developed 2 types of tests. In the first series, the full report method was used. The essence of this experiment was to memorize letters from a picture. The person on whom the experiment was carried out could pronounce 2 times fewer letters, than he was offered in the picture. The second series used the partial report method. This time the subject could reproduce 9 out of 12 symbols.

Additional tests were also carried out so that the retention time of information could be studied. To calculate the storage time, the signal to produce the result was given immediately after the picture or after some time.

As a result of these studies, it was studied that the storage of material in memory stores ranges from 300 to 1000 ms.

The conclusion is that the sensory reserve has a large amount of data storage, but the duration of storage of materials is very short.

Differences between sensory memory and short-term memory

Memory can be sensory, short-term and long-term.

Sensory memory is fixed on the sense organs. The storage period of information in it is very short. This applies to information that does not carry important meaning for a person.

Subsequently unnecessary information quickly replaced by new data. Such extra information includes, for example, this: a person looked at the silhouette of some object for a long time, then, when he looked away, this silhouette stood before his eyes for some time.

Short-term memory (RAM) has limitations in a certain amount of stored data. She gets very busy during the day. Short-term reserve requires approximately 30 seconds to remember information. The materials are then filtered, important data is sent to long-term memory, and unnecessary data is replaced with new information.

Long-term memory is a kind of archive. Knowledge of language, addresses, telephone numbers, names and similar data that is significant to a person are stored in long-term memory.

She can remember important points from 1 day to many decades. But it also has its drawbacks. It does not have unlimited data storage capacity. Long-term memory is divided into levels. At different levels there is information that can be quickly recalled or information that requires certain actions to be recalled.

If a person rarely uses some important information, then it settles to the lower levels. More important data is stored on upper levels. But when space in a certain level runs out, the data is dropped to a lower level, etc.

There is also theoretical memory. This is a property of the body that remembers information for life. For example, words, native language, etc.

Conclusion

Based on the above, we can conclude that there is no point in hoping for limitless possibilities. Also, there is no need to clutter your head with unnecessary unimportant things.

Let's take a closer look at short-term and long-term memory.

As mentioned above, in short-term memory, the storage of material is limited to a certain, short period of time. A person's short-term memory is connected with his actual consciousness.

Long-term memory is designed for long-term storage of information; it is not connected with the actual consciousness of a person and presupposes his ability at the right moment to remember what he once remembered. Unlike CP, where recollection is not required (since what was perceived is still in the actual consciousness), with DP it is always necessary, because information related to perception is no longer in the sphere of actual consciousness.

When using DP, recall often requires certain volitional efforts, so its functioning is usually associated with will.

To maintain information in short-term memory, it is always necessary to maintain continuous attention to the memorized material during the entire time it is retained in memory; with long-term memorization this is not necessary.

One of the possible mechanisms of short-term memorization is temporal encoding, i.e. reflection of what is remembered in the form of certain, sequentially located symbols in the human auditory and visual systems. Often, in order for something to be truly remembered, they try to evoke a certain emotional reaction by association with it. Such a reaction can be considered as a special psychophysical mechanism that promotes the activation and integration of processes that serve as a means of memorization and reproduction.

Let's consider the main characteristics of short-term memory. As already mentioned, its average volume is limited to 7±2 units of integrated information. This volume is individual, it characterizes a person’s natural memory and tends to persist throughout life. It primarily determines the volume of mechanical memory, which functions without the active inclusion of thinking in the memorization process.

The characteristics of the CP, due to the limited scope of its volume, are associated with such a property as substitution. It manifests itself in the fact that when the individual stable volume of a person’s short-term memory is full, the information newly entering it partially displaces what is already stored there. Subjectively, this can manifest itself, for example, in an involuntary switching of a person’s attention from memorization to something else.

Short-term memory plays an important role in human life. Thanks to it, the largest amount of information is processed, unnecessary information is eliminated, and as a result, long-term memory is not overloaded with unnecessary information. KP has great value for organizing thinking; its material, as a rule, is the facts located in the human CP.

This type of memory also actively works in the process of person-to-person communication. It has been established that when people who meet for the first time are asked to talk about their impressions of each other, to describe those personal characteristics that they noticed during the meeting, then on average, as a rule, the number of traits that corresponds to the volume of the CP is called, i.e. e. 7±2.

Impossible without CP normal functioning long-term memory. Only what was once in the CP can penetrate into the latter and be deposited for a long time. In other words, the CP acts as a kind of filter that allows necessary information in the DP, while simultaneously carrying out strict selection in it.

One of the main properties of CP is that this type of memory, under certain conditions, also has no time limits. This condition consists in the ability to continuously repeat a series of words, numbers, etc. just heard. To maintain information in the CP, it is necessary to maintain activity aimed at memorizing, without diverting attention to another type of activity, complex mental work.

Clinical studies related to memory disorders show that the two types of memory - CP and DP - indeed exist as relatively independent ones. For example, with such a disorder, which is called retrograde amnesia, mainly the memory of recently occurring events suffers, but memories of those events that took place in the distant past are preserved. In another type of disease - anterograde amnesia - both the CP and DP remain preserved. However, the ability to enter new information into the DP suffers.

At the same time, both types of memory are interconnected and work as unified system. One of the concepts showing them working together, developed by American scientists R. Atkinson and R. Shifrin. It is shown schematically in Fig. 2

Rice. 2.

In accordance with this theory, the DP is practically unlimited in volume, but limited in the possibility of voluntary recall of the information stored in it. In addition, in order for information to get into the DP storage, it is necessary that it be processed certain work even while he is in the command post.

In many life situations, the CP and DP processes work almost in parallel. For example, when a person sets himself the task of remembering something that obviously exceeds the capabilities of his CP, he often consciously or unconsciously resorts to the technique of semantic grouping of material, which makes it easier for him to memorize. This grouping, in turn, involves the use of DP, turning to past experience, extracting from it the knowledge and concepts necessary for generalization, ways of grouping the memorized material, reducing it to a number of semantic units that do not exceed the volume of the CP.

Translating information from the CP to the DP usually causes difficulties, because in order to do this, it is necessary to comprehend and structure it in a certain way, to connect in the imagination new information with those that are already stored in the DP. But there are unique cases when this is done relatively easily by a person. One of such cases was described by A.R. Luria in his work "A Little Book about large memory". The features of the memory of a certain Sh. were examined, and it was found that "he was indifferent whether meaningful words, meaningless syllables, numbers or sounds were presented to him, whether they were given orally or in writing; he only needed that one element of the proposed series be separated from another by a pause of 2-3 seconds.”

As it was later found out, Sh.’s memory mechanism was based on eidetic vision, which he had especially developed. After the presentation of the material, Sh. continued to see it in the absence of the material itself and was able to restore in detail the corresponding visual image after a long time (some experiments were repeated after 15-16 years). For ordinary person It is this point of recall that usually poses a problem.

Let us now consider the features and mechanisms of operation of the DP. It usually comes into play not immediately after the material has been perceived, but at least a few minutes later. When transferring information from the CP to the DP, it is usually recoded again and included in the semantic structures and connections already present in the DP. Unlike CP, in the long-term this process is neither auditory nor visual. It is, rather, based on thinking, on the conscious giving of a certain semantic meaning to what is being remembered, known to the rememberer. Thus, the DP has a semantic organization.

Speech plays a significant role in DP. What can be expressed in words is usually remembered easier and better than what can only be perceived visually or auditorily. Moreover, if words act not just as a verbal replacement for memorized material, but are the result of its comprehension, then this is the most productive.

Storage and recall as mnemonic processes have their own characteristics. A person's poor memory may be due to difficulties in recollection rather than remembering per se. Difficulties that arise during recall are often associated with the fact that at the right moment in time the necessary stimulus-means for recall was not at hand. The richer the stimulus-means that a person has for memorizing, the more accessible they are to him at the right moment in time, the better the voluntary recall. Two factors increase the likelihood of successful recall: the correct organization of memorized information and the recreation of conditions identical to the conditions under which the material was memorized.

One of effective ways structuring memorization is giving the memorized material a “tree” structure. In such a structure, at the very top is keyword, conveying the most general meaning text. Below are key words that convey the meaning of individual parts of the text. Then keywords that convey the meaning of individual sentences. At the very bottom of the structure is the actual memorized text. To remember the text, it is enough to first come up with the “top” keyword, and then move to more low levels structures to remember the entire text.

The effectiveness of recall is sometimes reduced by interference, i.e. mixing some materials with others, some remembering schemes with others, associated with completely different materials. Most often, interference occurs when the same memories are associated in memory with the same events and their appearance in consciousness gives rise to the simultaneous recall of competing (interfering) events.

The memory of material is also influenced by the emotions associated with it, and depending on the specifics of the emotional experiences associated with memory, this influence can manifest itself in different ways. The brighter the emotions associated with an event, the easier it is to remember. Positive emotions tend to promote recall, while negative emotions hinder it. It has been experimentally proven that artificial recreation during recall of emotional states accompanying the moment of memorization improves memory.

Long-term memory with conscious access is characterized by a pattern of forgetting: everything unnecessary, secondary, as well as a certain percentage of necessary information is forgotten.

To reduce forgetting you need to:

1) understanding, comprehension of information (mechanically learned, but not fully understood information is forgotten quickly and almost completely - curve 1 on the graph);

2) repetition of information (the first repetition is necessary 40 minutes after memorization, since after an hour only 50% of the mechanically memorized information remains in the memory).

It is necessary to repeat more often in the first days after memorization, because on these days the losses from forgetting are maximum, it is better this way: on the first day - 2-3 repetitions, on the second day - 1-2 repetitions, on the third - seventh day 1 repetition, then 1 repetition with an interval of 7-10 days. 30 repetitions over the course of a month are more effective than 100 repetitions per day. Therefore, systematic, without overload, studying, memorizing in small portions throughout the semester with periodic repetitions after 10 days is much more effective than concentrated memorization of a large amount of information in a short session, causing mental and mental overload and almost complete forgetting of information a week after the session.

Rice. 3. Ebbinghaus forgetting curve: a) meaningless material; b) logical processing; c) when repeated

Forgetting depends to a large extent on the nature of the activity immediately preceding and occurring after memorization. The negative influence of activity preceding memorization is called proactive inhibition. The negative influence of the activity following memorization is called retroactive inhibition; it is especially pronounced in cases where, after memorization, an activity similar to it is performed or if this activity requires significant effort.

Sensory memory is an instant imprint of received sensory information on the peripheral parts of the analyzers. Information gets here through the purposeful process of perceiving the physical characteristics of stimuli, and its volume is essentially equal to the volume of perception. Depending on the modality of the stimulus, the following main types of sensory memory are distinguished: conical - a sensory copy of visual information and echoic - a sensory copy of acoustic information. In conical memory, information is retained for up to 250 ms; in echoic - up to 1 s. Information in sensory memory is forgotten due to trace fading.
Short-term memory is a memory in which the storage of information is characterized by a limited time and limited volume. The material comes from either sensory or long-term memory: new information comes from sensory; from long-term - information that is remembered. A necessary condition This is achieved by directing a person’s attention to this information and its sensory organization (acoustic, visual or semantic).

The experiments of the American psychologist J. Miller demonstrated a limited amount of short-term memory: 7±2 units, i.e. from 5 to 9 units. However, by recoding information into new structural units, its volume can increase, although the number of these new structural units continues to be 7±2. Thus, the capacity of short-term memory is determined not so much by the number of individual objects, but by the number of well-integrated groups of objects. This volume tends to increase from childhood to adulthood (if in childhood it is 4-5 units, then in adults it is 7-8). It can also be different for different modalities in one person, depending on the dominance of one or another type of memory.
In short-term memory, information is stored for a very short time: up to 30 seconds, therefore, it is characteristic of that stage of memorization when traces of stimuli are just being formed. However, in general the material needs to be held for more than a few seconds and should therefore be repeated “to oneself”. Mechanical repetition ensures the repeated entry of information into short-term memory. An important condition it is important that the volume of material that is repeated does not exceed the memory capacity (7±2 units). If the repetition is meaningful, the material is recoded into a semantic code and goes into long-term memory.

Forgetting information in short-term memory occurs as a result of three reasons: repression (when the volume is full, new information partially erases the old), interference (one information is mixed with another) or extinction (if the material is not repeated, the intensity of the image decreases every moment). The loss of information may be irreversible, i.e. it does not move into long-term memory, but simply disappears.

Short-term memory plays a significant role in human life. Thanks to it, a significant amount of information is processed, unnecessary information is eliminated, and as a result, long-term memory is not overloaded. Without it, the normal functioning of long-term memory is impossible, because it acts as a kind of filter on the way to it, letting through only the necessary, selected information.

At the turn of the 50-60s of the XX century. Researchers' attention has been drawn to operational transformations that can occur in short-term memory while a person performs cognitive tasks, for example, during thinking. This type of memory is called operational memory. Working memory is a type of memory that ensures that a person directly carries out current actions and operations. It allows you to save information for the time necessary to solve certain problems. While this working material is functioning, it constitutes the content of working memory, which combines information from short- and long-term memory. For example, when performing complex mathematical operations, we store some intermediate results in memory as long as we operate with them. In the process of moving towards the final result, these parts may be forgotten. RAM, like short-term memory, has a limited volume (7±2 units); The storage time of information is determined solely by the task facing a person and, as a rule, ranges from several seconds to several minutes. Superfluous or necessary for further work information is quickly erased from it. Timely forgetting avoids errors associated with the use of outdated information and frees up space for storing new data. So, according to its characteristics RAM occupies an intermediate position between short-term and long-term.