Short-Term Memory Recall Flashcards
6 cards from real FEAST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Short-Term Memory Recall flashcards as text
Working memory capacity in ATC contexts is typically limited to approximately:
Answer: 4–7 items simultaneously for most adults, with performance degrading as items approach or exceed this limit
Miller's Law (1956) established approximately 7±2 items as the capacity of working memory; modern research suggests 4 items as a more reliable estimate for complex information.
A controller receives seven distinct pieces of information simultaneously (callsign, level, heading, speed, squawk, route, and ETA at next fix). After a short delay, they are tested on recall of all seven items. What cognitive phenomenon is most likely to limit their performance?
Answer: Working memory capacity limit — seven items is at or near the upper boundary of short-term storage capacity
Seven items is at the upper bound of working memory capacity. Recall accuracy will drop for some items, typically those in the middle of the sequence.
Chunking in short-term memory refers to:
Answer: Grouping individual items into meaningful units to increase effective memory capacity
Chunking combines multiple items into single meaningful units, effectively reducing the number of items that must be held and increasing functional memory capacity.
A controller who performs well on single-item short-term memory tests but poorly on multi-item tests demonstrates a pattern consistent with:
Answer: Limited working memory capacity that is sufficient for simple but not complex ATC memory demands
Good single-item but poor multi-item performance indicates memory capacity that is adequate for simple tasks but insufficient for the multi-element demands of real ATC.
Proactive interference in short-term memory occurs when:
Answer: Earlier information in memory interferes with accurate recall of later, similar information
Proactive interference is when old memories compete with and disrupt the recall of new, similar information — old information 'bleeds into' new recall.
A candidate hears: 'New clearance: climb FL240, speed 280 knots, heading 150.' Immediately after, they hear: 'Correction: climb FL250 not FL240.' The corrected clearance requires the candidate to:
Answer: Update the level to FL250 while retaining the unchanged speed and heading in memory
Corrections require updating only the changed element (FL240 → FL250) while retaining the unchanged elements (speed 280, heading 150) — this tests selective updating of working memory.