Quote from: stochastic on May 01, 2012, 03:36:02 AM

Quote from: edd on May 01, 2012, 03:22:54 AM

Quote from: stochastic on May 01, 2012, 03:20:04 AM

People these days can't seem to remember more than 5 letter/number/symbol combinations. Yet 20 years ago people could remember multiple 10 digit numbers...

Actually, seven is the magic number and I haven't seen any evidence to suggest this has changed.

It is actually 7 +/- 2.

As for new evidence how about this.

Quote

More recent studies suggest that the limit for working memory is more like three, and sometimes four, with various factors influencing the capacity of an individual's working memory.

I personally believe people are getting dumber as they save most information like telephone numbers and have speed dial. If they would try to remember them then they would be able to remember other numbers.

Yes, according to that paper, it is 7 +/- 2 but I was focusing on a "magic number," not numbers. I apologize if my post seemed misleading. In any case, even the high end of 9 does not match your claim of "Yet 20 years ago people could remember multiple 10 digit numbers..."

Also, the paper you cited, though I haven't paid to read it in its entirety, does not claim that people in general have lost the ability to remember longer strings of symbols. The abstract merely suggests that the original paper was erroneous in its conclusion and doesn't cite those "recent studies" either.