Theory

In 1956, George Miller conducted groundbreaking research to investigate the capacity of short-term memory. He proposed the concept of the "Magical Number Seven", suggesting that the average human short-term memory can hold about 7 items, plus or minus 2.

Miller introduced the idea of chunking, where information is grouped into meaningful units or "chunks" to make it easier to remember. For example, instead of remembering individual digits like 1, 9, 4, 7, a person may group them as the year "1947" for improved recall. These chunks can be digits, words, phrases, or related items that are easier to process.

During his experiments, participants were presented with sequences of letters, digits, or other information and asked to recall them in the correct order. Miller observed that most people could accurately recall between 5 to 9 items, depending on how the information was presented and organized.

Key Insights from Miller's Research:

1. Capacity – Short-term memory is limited to approximately 7 chunks of information.
2. Organization – Grouping information into chunks enhances memory retention.
3. Overload – When information exceeds memory capacity, it is either lost or replaced by new data.

Miller’s research emphasized the constraints of short-term memory and the importance of organizing information efficiently. It has applications in various fields, including:

• Education: Designing study techniques using chunking methods.
• User Interface Design: Presenting information in manageable, organized groups.
• Communication Strategies: Structuring messages to improve clarity and retention.

Miller’s theory remains a cornerstone in cognitive psychology and continues to influence how we understand memory processing and information overload.