Peterson and Peterson asked people to count aloud backward after they were presented with three consonants. This study finds that <u>short-term </u>memories will quickly disappear without active processing and rehearsal. Short-term memory is only capable of storing a limited bit of information, usually an average of 7 for a short period of time, usually between 15-30 seconds. Active rehearsal and processing is needed to transfer the information to the long-term memory.
