Factors Affecting Short-Term Memory Abilities

👶 Age & Development

The short-term memory capacity keeps increasing from childhood till the end of adolescence, then it reaches its peak in young adulthood. Finally, it declines gradually over the years mainly due to changes in the brain and speed of processing.

😰 Stress & Anxiety

Long-term stress leads to high cortisol levels, which in turn, cause the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex to function very poorly. Anxiety, on the contrary, produces unwanted thoughts that take up the already limited short-term memory and attention resources.

🎯 Attention & Focus

The ability to pay attention to various things simultaneously, performing different tasks at the same time, and distractions take a big toll on encoding efficiency as they all reduce it drastically. On the other hand, concentrated attention is the key to successfully transferring sensory information into short-term memory storage thereby making the process effective.

😴 Sleep Deprivation

Not getting enough sleep leads to the brain's inability to pay attention, a reduction in its efficient working, a disruption in the processes of consolidation, as well as a decrease in the performance of the short-term memory due to the reduction of cognitive resources and metabolic functioning.

🧠 Cognitive Load

The information that is complex, unfamiliar, or poorly organized simply exceeds the capacity. High cognitive load resulting from competing demands at the same time reduces the resources available for encoding and temporarily retaining new information.

💊 Health & Substances

Alcohol, drugs, medications, health issues, and lack of proper nutrition weaken the neurotransmitter function and neuronal activity, thus having a direct negative impact on short-term memory performance and cognitive abilities.

🎨 Information Characteristics

Retention is influenced by the inherent worth of the information, its familiarity, how it is organized, and the manner in which it is presented. Information that is meaningful and well-structured is easier to encode and maintain compared to random, abstract, or unrelated content.