Short-term memory can contain about seven items, or "chunks" of information, with variations up to plus-or-minus two chunks.
A chunk is a meaningful grouping of stimuli that can be stored as a unit in short-term memory.
Chunks can vary in size from single letters or numbers to categories that are far more complicated.
The transfer of material from short- to long-term memory proceeds largely on the basis of rehearsal.
If the information is simply repeated over and over again, it is kept current in short-term memory, but it will not necessarily be placed in long-term memory.
