Digit span refers to the length of a sequence of numbers that a person can remember and reproduce accurately. It is commonly used in psychology to assess working memory capacity. An example of a digit span task might involve a participant being presented with a series of digits, such as:
- A simple digit span task: 4, 7, 2, 9
Participants would be asked to repeat the numbers back in the same order. After practice, the sequence may become longer, such as:
- A more complex digit span task: 3, 8, 6, 1, 4, 7, 3, 2
Chunking refers to a cognitive strategy used to enhance memory by grouping individual pieces of information into larger, manageable units or "chunks." For example, instead of remembering the sequence of digits above as "3, 8, 6, 1, 4, 7, 3, 2," a person might chunk them as follows:
- 386 (first chunk), 14 (second chunk), 73 (third chunk), 2 (fourth chunk)
By grouping the digits into chunks, the individual can enhance their ability to remember the entire sequence. This technique is commonly used in everyday life, such as remembering phone numbers, where digits are often grouped into segments (e.g., 555-123-4567 instead of 5551234567).
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