OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

How quickly do we typically forget information in short term memory?

1. Immediately

2. 30 seconds on average

3. 1 minute on average

4. 5 minutes on average

The correct answer is: 30 seconds on average

Short-term memory, often referred to as working memory, typically has a retention span of about 20 to 30 seconds for most information without rehearsal. This means that, on average, we can hold onto new information for approximately 30 seconds before it begins to fade unless we actively work to retain it, such as through repetition or by transferring it to long-term memory. This time frame reflects the limitations of short-term memory capacity, which allows for only a limited amount of information to be stored temporarily before it is either forgotten or consolidated into long-term memory. The other choices represent time frames that either exceed the average retention span or suggest immediate forgetting, which does not accurately reflect the typical functioning of short-term memory.