What percentage of information entering short-term memory is lost within 10 seconds?

• A. 90%
• B. 50%
• C. 10%
• D. 0%

Answer: (A)

Short-term memory acts as a temporary workspace with limited capacity and a very brief retention time. If information isn’t actively rehearsed or manipulated, the memory trace fades quickly and can be disrupted by new incoming information. This rapid decay and interference mean that a large portion of what enters short-term memory is lost within that short window. Rehearsal and strategies like chunking help keep information alive longer and promote transfer into longer-term storage. So, the idea that most information entering short-term memory is lost in that brief period reflects how fragile and quickly changing short-term memory can be.