It is easier to remember the names of seven people you just met at a party than it is to remember their addresses (even if both pieces of information were given to you at the same time), because there is a(n)________.
A) inverse relationship between the size of the chunks in short-term memory and their retention
B) inverse relationship between the number of items in the sensory registers and their retention
C) direct relationship between the size of the chunks in short-term memory and their retention
D) direct relationship between the size of the chunks in the sensory registers and their retention

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This statement describes chunking, which refers to the process of grouping information together into meaningful units, which makes it easier to remember. In this case, remembering the names of seven people as one chunk is easier than trying to remember seven individual addresses as separate pieces of information. The size of the chunks in short-term memory has a direct relationship with their retention, meaning that larger, meaningful chunks are easier to remember than smaller, disconnected pieces of information.

It Is Easier to Remember the Names of Seven People