Short Term Memory Test Game

A short term memory test game can give you an indication of your short term memory's health.

Memory Information
According to cognitive psychology theories, we have three stages of memory: sensory memory, short term memory and long term memory. Sensory memory lasts the shortest period of time, seconds or less. Sensory memory transfers audio, touch and visual memory images into short term memory.

Short term memory is the way station to long term memory. Short term memory is designed to hold limited amounts of information for a limited period of time, only long enough to understand the information. Short term memory is subject to interference and interruptions.

Meaningful information is placed in long term memory. Long term memory is like a storage area for useful information which will remain, ready to be recalled, for a long period of time.

Short Term Memory Loss
Some people feel that they are losing their short term memory as part of their aging process. However, conditions other than aging may affect this part of the memory retention process, including stress and depression.

Short Term Memory Test Games
You can do your own short term memory test by sitting down and looking at the area around you for a few seconds. Then close your eyes and try to recall all of the brown, green or rectangular shaped items you saw.

You can also go online to your favorite search engine and type in "short term memory game tests." You will find a number of free games that you can play that will test your short term memory skills.

Improving Your Short Term Memory
There are several techniques that you can try to help improve your short term memory. One of these techniques is called "chunking." Your short term memory can't handle tons of information in one shot. Therefore, try breaking the information down into "bite sized" pieces. This is particularly effective when memorizing numbers. For example, learning an area code and phone number may be easier if you chunk it down as it is written. If you are trying to learn the phone number "555-555-5555," you would chunk it into (555), (555) and (5555) and memorize it that way rather than as a string of 5s.

Another technique is to use acronyms. Acronyms are abbreviations, like U. S. for United States. If, for example, you need to memorize that one of President Benjamin Harrison's nicknames was "Old Tippecanoe," you can think "BHOT" or "B-Hot" instead of "Benjamin Harrison Old Tippecanoe."