Jamal is trying to buy something over the phone. He asks his partner to read him his credit card number. However, when he tries to repeat it to the sales clerk on the other end of the line, he can't remember all the numbers. Jamal is coming up against
A) the decay of numerical memory
B) the extinction of auditory traces.
C) George Miller's magic number 7, plus or minus 2.
D) the limits of procedural memory.
E) the problem of absent-mindedness.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jamal's difficulty in remembering the credit card number is related to George Miller's theory that the average person can hold about 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their short-term memory. Credit card numbers, typically being 16 digits long, exceed this capacity, making it hard for Jamal to remember all the numbers at once.

Jamal Is Trying to Buy Something Over the Phone