"What's Your Social?" the Insurance Provider on the Phone Asks

question 149

Multiple Choice

"What's your social?" the insurance provider on the phone asks Renee. "One, six, four . . ." Renee begins. After a brief pause, she continues, "seventy-two . . . sixteen thirty-eight." To ease the burden on the insurance associate's short-term memory, Renee is giving the number in ______ rather than as individual digits.

• A)nuggets
• B)clumps
• C)clusters
• D)chunks

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Definitions:

Magic Number

Refers to the short-term memory capacity, traditionally considered to be 7±2 items, as postulated by psychologist George A. Miller.

Short-term Memory

The ability to keep a limited quantity of data actively accessible in one's consciousness for a brief duration.

Miller

George A. Miller was an American psychologist who made significant contributions to the cognitive psychology field, notably proposing that the human mind can hold 7 ± 2 pieces of information in short-term memory.

Maintenance Rehearsal

A cognitive process of repeatedly reviewing information to be retained in short-term memory and possibly encoded into long-term memory.